[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 13 (Monday, January 23, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                SUPPORT THE UNFUNDED MANDATES REFORM ACT

  (Mr. BURR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURR. Mr. Speaker, today we will continue consideration of H.R. 
5, the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of 
this legislation that is embodied in the Republican Contract with 
America.
  I have received letters from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the 
National Conference of State Legislators, as well as the Democratic 
Governor of my home State, North Carolina, the Honorable Jim Hunt, all 
expressing strong support for this legislation. Governor Hunt 
articulated the problem well when he said, ``While these mandates may 
reflect well-intentioned policy goals, they often imposed substantial 
costs and regulatory burdens on the States that deny them the right and 
responsibility to set the priorities that best meet the needs of our 
citizens.''
  For too many years we in Congress have made laws that we did not hold 
ourselves accountable to and then mandated to both the State and local 
governments, as well as the private sector, that they not only abide by 
the laws, but also come up with the money to pay for them.


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