[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H549-H550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


             SUPPORT UNFUNDED MANDATE REFORM ACT AS AMENDED

  (Ms. McCARTHY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5, the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act, 
creates a process that ensures and recognizes that the Federal 
Government should not pass its obligations down to the State and local 
governments without adequate funding for its mandates.
  As a cosponsor of the legislation and a former State legislative 
leader, I am very sensitive to the potential financial and 
administrative burdens that Federal unfunded mandates place on State 
governments.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that during this bipartisan debate, one should 
consider the scope and cost of these unfunded mandates. In the State of 
Missouri, for example, an analysis of estimated costs of unfunded 
mandates reveals that for fiscal year 1994, the costs were $205 
million, which represents a 57 percent increase since 1992.
  The National Conference of State Legislatures finds that there are 
172 Federal laws that require State and local governments to spend 
money on Federal mandate programs.
  Further, estimated cost of unfunded mandates to States could be as 
high as $500 billion annually. Similarly, the cost to cities could be 
$54 billion over the next 4 years and counties across this country are 
spending close to $5 billion a year complying with 12 specific 
mandates.
  H.R. 5 responds to the growing concerns about the number and the cost 
of Federal mandates imposed on States and local governments by ensuring 
careful congressional consideration before the enactment of new 
mandates.
  I support a number of very good amendments introduced to strengthen 
H.R. 5 while still retaining the basic thrust and affirming 
[[Page H550]] the determination to establish a new partnership with our 
States and local government.
  The standards designed to protect the environment, as well as the 
health and safety of Americans in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act are 
the first step in restoring the balance to our Federal system.


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