[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 18 (Monday, January 30, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H879-H882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Chairman, because of a serious fire at my father's
home in Illinois, I was unable to return to Washington earlier today
and missed a series of votes. Had I been present I would have voted:
Present on rollcall No. 56; ``yes'' on rollcall No. 57; ``yes'' on
rollcall No. 58; ``no'' on rollcall No. 59; ``no'' on rollcall No. 60;
``no'' on rollcall No. 61; ``no'' on Rollcall 62; ``no'' on rollcall
No. 63; ``no'' on rollcall No. 64; ``no'' on rollcall No. 65; ``no'' on
rollcall No. 66; ``no'' on rollcall No. 67; ``no'' on rollcall No. 68;
``no'' on rollcall No. 69; ``no'' on rollcall No. 70; and ``no'' on
rollcall No. 71.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there further amendments to section 4?
amendments offered by mr. fields of louisiana
Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I offer two amendments,
numbered 151 and 152, which were printed in the Record, and I ask
unanimous consent that they be considered en bloc.
The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
Louisiana?
There was no objection.
The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendments.
The text of the amendments is as follows:
Amendments offered by Mr. Fields of Louisiana: In section
4, strike ``or'' after the semicolon at the end of paragraph
(6), strike the period at the end of paragraph (7) and insert
``; or'', and after paragraph (7) add the following new
paragraph:
(8) establishes standards for the education or safety of
students in elementary or secondary public schools.
In section 301, in the proposed section 422 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, strike ``or'' after the
semicolon at the end of paragraph (6), strike the period at
the end of paragraph (7) and insert ``; or'', and after
paragraph (7) add the following new paragraph:
``(8) establishes standards for the education or safety of
students in elementary or secondary public schools.
The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Fields] will be
recognized for 5 minutes, and the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr.
Clinger] will be recognized for 5 minutes in opposition.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Fields].
Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, this amendment simply provides
for an exemption to be made by any Federal statute or regulation which
establishes standards or standards for safety for students in
elementary and secondary education. Today I offer this amendment out of
concern for many children in our country who walk into unsafe schools
on a day-to-day basis. There are schools in this country that do not
have the proper tools for writing, much less the proper conditions to
ensure their safety. We need to work hard to bring the standard of
safety in our educational system across the country, bring it up to par
with the rest of the world. Today our students are falling behind. We
must look within our system and find ways to improve our Nation as a
whole. State by State, Mr. Chairman, we need to ensure that our
children are receiving the best possible education, and the buildings
in which they learn must be safe.
Thousands of schools open each day, Mr. Chairman, without proper
ventilation, without air conditioning during the heat of summer,
without heat during the middle of winter. Thousands of schools, Mr.
Chairman, open with leaking ceilings. Many of them have lead paint.
Many schools in our Nation, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Congress,
have asbestos. I urge that the Members of this body adopt this
amendment because our schools are in bad, bad shape all across America.
Our jails are in better condition than our schools.
This is a good amendment. I commend it to the rest of the body, and I
urge its adoption.
[[Page H880]] Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CLINGER. Mr. Chairman, let me, first of all, say I am sure I
speak for all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in
congratulating the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Fields] on the birth
of his son.
So, Mr. Chairman, it is with reluctance that I must rise with
opposition to the gentleman's amendment, knowing, as I do, that he will
have a son in school in not too many years, but again I have to say
that this amendment, as most of the amendments we have seen before,
really must not be exempt because it would not allow us to have the
kind of cost adjustments, cost considerations, that we have.
Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Mississippi [Mr. Parker].
Mr. PARKER. Mr. Chairman, I hesitate to rise in opposition to the
amendment offered by the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Fields], my good
friend, and being one of the more diplomatic Members of the House of
Representatives, I feel compelled to say that I have watched for a long
time around this body when the Republicans were in the minority. I used
to watch the Republicans bring forth amendments, and I could see the
commercial coming out, and all of a sudden we see the same thing on the
Democratic side, my side. I think that this type of situation in which
we find ourselves hurts this body, and I think the American people look
upon us, and they say, ``You are not doing what you should be doing.''
I personally want a clean unfunded mandates bill. I think it is what
we need, and I believe the American people have let us know that time
and time again. Join with me in defeating this amendment.
Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from the State of Florida [Mr. Hastings].
Mr. HASTINGS. Mr. Chairman, I would like to say to the distinguished
gentleman from Pennsylvania that I, too, join him in congratulating the
gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Fields] for he and his wife having a son,
but I would urge the gentleman from Pennsylvania to recognize, as
another gentleman from Pennsylvania said, that what we need for his son
is safe schools, and that is what this measure is about. To ask for
regulations and standards for our children is not asking much.
Unfunded mandates? The Republicans say the American people want us to
pass this bill. I say, Cheer, if you will. The American people, the
American people, can't possibly wan rat-infested schools, asbestos-
laden schools, leaky roofs, broken windows, drug-ridden schools, broken
toilets, water fountains that don't work and scared children and
teachers.
When we voted to exempt the older Americans from discrimination, it
was because we were afraid of their votes, and here we have a situation
where we are asking to exempt children, and, as my colleagues know,
they do not vote, so they find themselves in the position of not
wanting to support it.
Let me go a step further because somebody in this building needs to
clear the air on this Contract With America. Let me tell my colleagues
what elementary contract law says: Black's Dictionary says an agreement
between two or more parties for the doing or not doing something
specified is a contract.
I say to my colleagues, the American people, whoever you all keep
talking about, or the mandate that you claim that you got 20 percent of
39 percent of, is not a mandate in the sense of what the American
people want, and for my Democratic colleagues who have been about the
business of being bipartisan, I commend you and respect you for your
bipartisan efforts, but I remind you that it should be a two-way
street.
Let me tell my colleagues something: People, you have the votes in
the House to pass the legislation that you want unilaterally, but don't
you go around saying that my constituents signed on to your contract.
They did not.
And let me also make it clear, let me make it clear for everybody in
here, that the Republicans do not know all of what the American people
want, and the Democrats do not either.
Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. CLINGER. Mr. Chairman, I, too, yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendments offered by the
gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Fields].
The question was taken; and the Chairman announced that the noes
appeared to have it.
recorded vote
Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were ayes 135,
noes 282, not voting 17, as follows:
[Roll No. 72]
AYES--135
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Barcia
Becerra
Beilenson
Bentsen
Berman
Bishop
Bonior
Borski
Brown (CA)
Brown (FL)
Bryant (TX)
Cardin
Clay
Clayton
Clement
Clyburn
Coleman
Collins (IL)
Collins (MI)
Conyers
Costello
Coyne
Danner
DeFazio
DeLauro
Dellums
Deutsch
Dicks
Dingell
Dixon
Doggett
Doyle
Durbin
Engel
Eshoo
Evans
Farr
Fattah
Fazio
Fields (LA)
Filner
Flake
Foglietta
Ford
Frank (MA)
Frost
Gejdenson
Gephardt
Gonzalez
Green
Gutierrez
Hastings (FL)
Hilliard
Hinchey
Holden
Hoyer
Jackson-Lee
Jacobs
Jefferson
Johnston
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy (MA)
Kennedy (RI)
Kennelly
Kildee
Klink
LaFalce
Lantos
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Lofgren
Lowey
Luther
Maloney
Manton
Markey
Mascara
Matsui
McCarthy
McDermott
McKinney
Meehan
Meek
Menendez
Mfume
Miller (CA)
Mineta
Mink
Moakley
Nadler
Oberstar
Olver
Owens
Pallone
Pastor
Payne (NJ)
Pelosi
Peterson (FL)
Poshard
Rangel
Reed
Reynolds
Richardson
Rivers
Roybal-Allard
Rush
Sabo
Sanders
Sawyer
Schroeder
Scott
Serrano
Slaughter
Stark
Stokes
Thompson
Thornton
Torres
Torricelli
Towns
Traficant
Tucker
Velazquez
Vento
Volkmer
Ward
Waters
Watt (NC)
Waxman
Woolsey
Wyden
Wynn
NOES--282
Allard
Andrews
Archer
Armey
Bachus
Baesler
Baker (CA)
Baker (LA)
Baldacci
Ballenger
Barr
Barrett (NE)
Barrett (WI)
Bartlett
Barton
Bass
Bereuter
Bevill
Bilbray
Bilirakis
Bliley
Blute
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bono
Boucher
Brewster
Browder
Brown (OH)
Brownback
Bryant (TN)
Bunn
Bunning
Burr
Burton
Buyer
Callahan
Calvert
Camp
Canady
Castle
Chabot
Chambliss
Chapman
Chenoweth
Christensen
Chrysler
Clinger
Coble
Coburn
Collins (GA)
Combest
Condit
Cooley
Cramer
Crane
Crapo
Cremeans
Cubin
Cunningham
Davis
de la Garza
Deal
DeLay
Diaz-Balart
Dickey
Dooley
Doolittle
Dornan
Dreier
Duncan
Dunn
Edwards
Ehlers
Ehrlich
Emerson
English
Ensign
Everett
Ewing
Fawell
Fields (TX)
Flanagan
Foley
Forbes
Fowler
Fox
Franks (CT)
Franks (NJ)
Frelinghuysen
Frisa
Funderburk
Gallegly
Ganske
Gekas
Geren
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gilman
Goodlatte
Goodling
Gordon
Goss
Graham
Greenwood
Gunderson
Gutknecht
Hall (TX)
Hamilton
Hancock
Hansen
Harman
Hastert
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Heineman
Herger
Hilleary
Hobson
Hoekstra
Hoke
Horn
Hostettler
Houghton
Hunter
Hutchinson
Hyde
Inglis
Istook
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (SD)
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Kasich
Kelly
Kim
King
Kingston
Kleczka
Klug
Knollenberg
Kolbe
LaHood
Largent
Latham
LaTourette
Laughlin
Lazio
Leach
Levin
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (KY)
Lightfoot
Lincoln
Linder
Livingston
LoBiondo
Longley
Lucas
Manzullo
Martini
McCollum
McCrery
McDade
McHale
McHugh
McInnis
McIntosh
McKeon
McNulty
Metcalf
Meyers
Mica
Miller (FL)
Minge
Molinari
Mollohan
Moorhead
Moran
Morella
Murtha
Myers
Myrick
Nethercutt
Neumann
Ney
Norwood
Nussle
Obey
Ortiz
Orton
Oxley
Packard
Parker
Paxon
Payne (VA)
Peterson (MN)
Petri
Pickett
Pombo
Pomeroy
Porter
Portman
Pryce
Quillen
Quinn
Radanovich
Rahall
Ramstad
Regula
Riggs
Roemer
Rogers
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Roth
Royce
Salmon
Sanford
Saxton
Scarborough
Schaefer
Schiff
Schumer
Seastrand
[[Page H881]] Sensenbrenner
Shadegg
Shaw
Shays
Shuster
Skaggs
Skeen
Skelton
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Smith (WA)
Solomon
Souder
Spence
Spratt
Stearns
Stenholm
Stockman
Stump
Stupak
Talent
Tanner
Tate
Tauzin
Taylor (MS)
Taylor (NC)
Tejeda
Thomas
Thornberry
Thurman
Tiahrt
Torkildsen
Upton
Visclosky
Vucanovich
Waldholtz
Walker
Walsh
Wamp
Watts (OK)
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
White
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson
Wise
Wolf
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
Zeliff
Zimmer
NOT VOTING--17
Bateman
Cox
Furse
Gibbons
Hall (OH)
Hefner
Johnson, E. B.
Martinez
Montgomery
Neal
Roberts
Rose
Roukema
Sisisky
Studds
Williams
Yates
{time} 0005
So the amendments were rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The CHAIRMAN. Are there further amendments to section 4?
The Clerk will designate title I.
The text of title I is as follows:
TITLE I--REVIEW OF UNFUNDED FEDERAL MANDATES
SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT.
There is established a commission which shall be known as
the ``Commission on Unfunded Federal Mandates'' (in this
title referred to as the ``Commission'').
SEC. 102. REPORT ON UNFUNDED FEDERAL MANDATES BY THE
COMMISSION.
(a) In General.--The Commission shall in accordance with
this section--
(1) Investigate and review the role of unfunded Federal
mandates in intergovernmental relations and their impact on
State, local, tribal, and Federal government objectives and
responsibilities; and
(2) make recommendations to the President and the Congress
regarding--
(A) allowing flexibility for State, local, and tribal
governments in complying with specific unfunded Federal
mandates for which terms of compliance are unnecessarily
rigid or complex;
(B) reconciling any 2 or more unfunded Federal mandates
which impose contradictory or inconsistent requirements;
(C) terminating unfunded Federal mandates which are
duplicative, obsolete, or lacking in practical utility;
(D) suspending, on a temporary basis, unfunded Federal
mandates which are not vital to public health and safety and
which compound the fiscal difficulties of State, local, and
tribal governments, including recommendations for triggering
such suspension;
(E) consolidating or simplifying unfunded Federal mandates,
or the planning or reporting requirements of such mandates,
in order to reduce duplication and facilitate compliance by
State, local, and tribal governments with those mandates; and
(F) establishing common Federal definitions or standards to
be used by State, local, and tribal governments in complying
with unfunded Federal mandates that use different definitions
or standards for the same terms or principles.
(3) Identification of relevant unfunded federal mandates.--
Each recommendation under paragraph (2) shall, to
the extent practicable, identify the specific unfunded
Federal mandates to which the recommendation applies.
(b) Criteria.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall establish criteria
for making recommendations under subsection (a).
(2) Issuance of proposed criteria.--The Commission shall
issue proposed criteria under this subsection not later than
60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and
thereafter provide a period of 30 days for submission by the
public of comments on the proposed criteria.
(3) Final criteria.--Not later than 45 days after the date
of issuance of proposed criteria, the Commission shall--
(A) consider comments on the proposed criteria received
under paragraph (2);
(B) adopt and incorporate in final criteria any
recommendations submitted in those comments that the
Commission determines will aid the Commission in carrying out
its duties under this section; and
(C) issue final criteria under this subsection.
(c) Preliminary Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 9 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall--
(A) prepare and publish a preliminary report on its
activities under this title, including preliminary
recommendations pursuant to subsection (a);
(B) publish in the Federal Register a notice of
availability of the preliminary report; and
(C) provide copies of the preliminary report to the public
upon request.
(2) Public hearings.--The Commission shall hold public
hearings on the preliminary recommendations contained in the
preliminary report of the Commission under this subsection.
(d) Final Report.--Not later than 3 months after the date
of the publication of the preliminary report under section
(c), the Commission shall submit to the Congress, including
the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Government Affairs of
the Senate, and to the President a final report on the
findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the Commission
under this section.
SEC. 103. MEMBERSHIP.
(a) Number and Appointment.--The Commission shall be
composed of 9 members appointed from individuals who possess
extensive leadership experience in and knowledge of State,
local, and tribal governments and intergovernmental
relations, including State and local elected officials, as
follows:
(1) 3 members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, in consultation with the minority leader of
the House of Representatives.
(2) 3 members appointed by the majority leader of the
Senate, in consultation with the minority leader of the
Senate.
(3) 3 members appointed by the President.
(b) Waiver of Limitation on Executive Schedule Positions.--
Appointments may be made under this section without regard to
section 5311(b) of title 5, United States Code.
(c) Terms.--
(1) In general.--Each member of the Commission shall be
appointed for the life of the Commission.
(2) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Commission shall be filled
in the manner in which the original appointment was made.
(d) Basic Pay.--
(1) Rates of pay.--Members of the Commission shall serve
without pay.
(2) Prohibition of compensation of federal employees.--
Members of the Commission who are full-time officers or
employees of the United States may not receive additional
pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of their service on
the Commission.
(e) Travel Expenses.--Each member of the Commission may
receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of
subsistence, in accordance with sections 5702 and 5703 of
title 5, United States Code.
(f) Chairperson.--The President shall designate a member of
the Commission as Chairperson at the time of the appointment
of that member.
(g) Meetings.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Commission
shall meet at the call of the Chairperson or a majority of
its members.
(2) First meeting.--The Commission shall convene its first
meeting by not later than 45 days after the date of the
completion of appointment of the members of the Commission.
(3) Quorum.--A majority of members of the Commission shall
constitute a quorum but a lesser number may hold hearings.
SEC. 104. DIRECTOR AND STAFF OF COMMISSION EXPERTS AND
CONSULTANTS.
(a) Director.--The Commission shall have a Director who
shall be appointed by the Commission. The Director shall be
paid at a level not to exceed the rate of basic pay payable
for level IV of the Executive Schedule.
(b) Staff.--With the approval of the Commission, and
without regard to section 5311(b) of title 5, United States
Code, the Director may appoint and fix the pay of such staff
as is sufficient to enable the Commission to carry out its
duties.
(c) Applicability of Certain Civil Service Laws.--The
Director and staff of the Commission may be appointed without
regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code,
governing appointments in the competitive service, and may be
paid without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and
subchapter III of chapter 53 of that title relating to
classification and General Schedule pay rates, except that an
individual so appointed may not receive pay in excess of the
annual rate payable under section 5376 of title 5, United
States Code.
(d) Experts and Consultants.--The Commission may procure
temporary and intermittent services of experts or consultants
under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code.
(e) Staff of Federal Agencies.--Upon request of the
Director, the head of any Federal department or agency may
detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of that
department or
agency to the Commission to assist it in carrying out its
duties under this title.
SEC. 105. POWER OF COMMISSION.
(a) Hearings and Sessions.--The Commission may, for the
purpose of carrying out this title, hold hearings, sit and
act at times and places, take testimony, and receive evidence
as the Commission considers appropriate.
(b) Powers of Members and Agents.--Any member or agent of
the Commission may, if authorized by the Commission, take any
action which the Commission is authorized to take by this
section.
(c) Obtaining Official Data.--The Commission may secure
directly from any department or agency of the United States
information necessary to enable it to carry out this title,
except information--
(1) which is specifically exempted from disclosure by law;
or
(2) which that department or agency determines will
disclose--
(A) matters necessary to be kept secret in the interests of
national defense or the confidential conduct of the foreign
relations of the United States.
[[Page H882]] (B) information relating to trade secrets or
financial or commercial information pertaining specifically
to a given person if the information has been obtained by the
Government on a confidential basis, other than through an
application by such person for a specific financial or other
benefit, and is required to be kept secret in order to
prevent undue injury to the competitive position of such
person; or
(C) personnel or medical data or similar data the
disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of personal privacy;
unless the portions containing such matters, information, or
data have been excised.
Upon request of the Chairperson of the Commission, the head
of that department or agency shall furnish that information
to the Commission.
(d) Mails.--The Commission may use the United States mail
in the same manner and under the same conditions as other
departments and agencies of the United States.
(e) Administrative Support Services.--Upon the request of
the Commission, the Administrator of General Services shall
provide to the Commission, on a reimbursable basis, the
administrative support services necessary for the Commission
to carry out its duties under this title.
(f) Contract Authority.--The Commission may, subject to
appropriations, contract with and compensate government and
private agencies or persons for property and services used to
carry out its duties under this title.
SEC. 106. TERMINATION.
The Commission shall terminate 90 days after submitting its
final report pursuant to section 102(d).
SEC. 107. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Commission
$1,000,000 to carry out this title.
SEC. 108. DEFINITION.
As used in this title, the term ``Federal mandate'' means
any provision in statute or regulation or any Federal court
ruling that imposes an enforceable duty upon States, local
governments, or tribal governments including a condition of
Federal assistance or a duty arising from participation in a
voluntary Federal program.
SEC. 109. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This title shall take effect 60 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
Mr. POMBO. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to see that the Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act we are debating today is moving steadily toward
passage in the House of Representatives. This measure, H.R. 5, is long
overdue. For too many years, the Federal Government has been forcing
regulations down the throats of State and local government officials
without providing them with the necessary resources to pay for them.
To give an idea of how outrageous this practice has become, the
Environmental Protection Agency's own figures state that its rules and
regulations cost this Nation $140 billion last year--that is 2.2
percent of our entire gross domestic product. Let me remind my
colleagues that this represents the cost of mandates from just one
single agency of the Federal Government. The successful passage of H.R.
5 will once-and-for-all end this outrageous, and arrogant, Federal
Government practice.
While I am disappointed that some in this House have tried to slow
down the progress of H.R. 5, I am confident that the overwhelming
bipartisan support it enjoys will enable us to make good on our promise
with the American people. H.R. 5 is a top priority for those of us who
have signed the Contract With America--and we intend to deliver.
Mr. Chairman, we are not the only ones who have been eagerly waiting
for this legislation. State and local officials around the country are
so disgusted with the Federal Government's penchant for establishing
new programs without paying for them, they established an official
Unfunded Mandates Day to make their concerns felt here in Washington.
They have done this because it is the simple fact that the burden of
paying for unfunded mandates is minimizing the effectiveness of State
and local governments to provide even the most basic local services.
Let me make one thing clear--we have heard their voices, and are
dedicated to making a real difference.
What good do unfunded mandates serve if they require city officials
to seriously consider buying and passing out bottled water to residents
rather than comply with the strict Federal water testing requirements
set forth in the Safe Drinking Water Act? How effective is requiring a
city to spend over $250,000 over 3 years to remove petroleum-
contaminated soil so that an asphalt parking lot could be put on top of
it--when asphalt is a petroleum-based product? Mandates like these
serve no one--except the Federal bureaucrats, of course.
Once again, Mr. Chairman, I would like to express my strong support
for the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act and urge its passage in the House
of Representatives as well as the other body. We owe the American
people nothing less.
Mr. McKeon. Mr. Chairman, legislative mandates made by the Federal
Government have placed a significant financial burden on communities in
California. The city of Los Angeles estimates that Federal mandates
will cost approximately $2.2 billion over 5 years (1993-94 through
1997-98). In recent years, many Federal mandates have been placed on
cities like Los Angeles without Federal funding required for
implementing and enforcing these mandates.
Despite the attention to this issue, these Federal mandates have not
subsided. The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices is
currently in the process of recommending improvements in traffic-
control devices, including street signs, to the Federal Highway
Administration. In its present form, the National Committee's proposal
recommends new Federal guidelines that would require communities to:
First, increase the size of the street sign lettering from 4 inches
to 6 inches high; and second, modify street name signs to be reflective
or illuminated.
The proposed guidelines do not contain any provisions for cities to
fund these changes.
The city's department of transportation has reviewed this proposal
and believes that the suggested requirements are extreme and
unnecessary. The cost to change the more than 150,000 street name signs
in the city would be approximately $10 to $15 million.
Without financial assistance, the city of Los Angeles is not in a
position to comply with the proposed new guidelines for street signs.
Furthermore, in an urban area such as Los Angeles, many intersections
are sufficiently illuminated and often feature additional identifying
signs for drivers of motor vehicles.
While this is one small example of a much larger problem, it is
indicative of the costly Federal mandates imposed on local governments.
With this in mind, I respectfully urge House Members to support H.R. 5,
the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act of 1995.
Mr. CLINGER. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.
The motion was agreed to.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr.
Ehlers) having assumed the chair, Mr. Emerson, Chairman of the
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, reported that
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5) to
curb the practice of imposing unfunded Federal mandates on States and
local governments, to ensure that the Federal Government pays the costs
incurred by those governments in complying with certain requirements
under Federal statues and regulations, and to provide information on
the cost of Federal mandates on the private sector, and for other
purposes, had come to no resolution thereon.
____________________