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




                         END UNFUNDED MANDATES

  (Mrs. SEASTRAND asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. SEASTRAND. Mr. Speaker, I had hoped to come to the floor today 
and vote for yet another essential part of the Contract With America, 
the limits on unfunded mandates. Since it appears that stall tactics 
are working, we will not be voting on this important provision today. 
But I felt it necessary to give a simple example of the term unfunded 
mandates.
  An example is worth a thousand definitions. In my home State of 
California, the California Department of Finance estimates that one 
piece of legislation alone, the National Voter Registration Act, more 
commonly known as motor voter, will cost our State $3.8 billion alone 
in 1994 and 1995.
  They further go on to point out that the cost to California in 
unfunded and underfunded mandates for 1993-94 and 1994-95 will cost 
more than $15 billion.
  I know that might not seem like too much money to some that serve in 
this House. However, we should adhere to the words of the late Everett 
Dirksen who said, ``A billion here, a billion there and sooner or later 
we're talking about real money.''


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