[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 1, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E245]]
                  UNFUNDED MANDATE REFORM ACT OF 1995

                                 ______


                               speech of

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 30, 1995
       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union 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 statutes and 
     regulations, and to provide information on the cost of 
     Federal mandates on the private sector, and for other 
     purposes.

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the 
Vento amendment to H.R. 5 which will ensure that the Unfunded Mandates 
Reform Act will not apply to laws and regulations that involve life-
threatening public health and safety measures.
  The amendment clearly recognizes the Federal Government's steadfast 
responsibility in protecting the health and safety of the American 
public. If we ignore this responsibility, the result will be 
devastating.
  If the act passes without the Vento amendment, landfills, 
incinerators, hazardous waste dumps, toxic waste storage facilities, 
and manufacturers could pollute our air and our water unchecked by 
oversight of the Federal Government. This rampant pollution will have a 
severe negative impact on the health of the American public.
  Children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are 
especially vulnerable to diseases caused by environmental pollution.
  Many respiratory diseases and several forms of cancer are directly 
attributable to environmental causes.
  These polluting facilities are disproportionately likely to be 
located in low-income and minority communities.
  Currently, dust from a concrete recycling plant in the city of 
Huntington Park in my district is polluting that community's air and 
water.
  Both the local rate of respiratory infection and of asthma in 
children have risen alarmingly since the plant began operation.
  The citizens of that community are now turning to the government for 
assistance and protection against this threat to their health.
  The industry assumption is that people living in these communities 
are politically weak and so consumed by the daily grind of making a 
living that they will not have the resources to organize against these 
facilities, as people in upper income communities tend to do.
  Unfortunately, this assumption is firmly grounded in the reality of 
many communities throughout our country.
  The Federal Government must not abandon its role in protecting the 
health of all Americans, particularly the most vulnerable in our 
country.
  As Representatives of our respective communities, we have a clear 
obligation to protect the health and safety of the American people.
  If we abandon it now, we may cause damage to future generations 
before our mistake can be corrected.
  I urge the passage of the Vento amendment.
  

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