[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 24, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE MANDATES INFORMATION ACT OF 1998

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY A. CONDIT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 24, 1998

  Mr. CONDIT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Mandates 
Information Act of 1998. This bill is similar to H.R. 1010, the 
Mandates Information Act of 1997, which I introduced on March 11, 1997. 
The bill is introduced as a follow up to the success we have had with 
the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act.
  As you are aware, the Unfunded Mandate Relief Act required the 
Congressional Budget Office to estimate the cost of unfunded mandates a 
bill would place on both local governments and the private sector. 
These cost estimates are required to be included in the committee's 
report which accompanies a bill reported to the House.
  The law also established a point of order procedure for bills which 
contained a mandate on local governments exceeding $50 million. The 
Mandates Information Act of 1998 will establish a similar point or 
order procedure for bills containing a unfunded mandate on the private 
sector in excess of $100 million.
  The changes reflected in the Mandates Information Act of 1998 have 
been made at the behest of the Rules Committee Chairman and Vice 
Chairman with the commitment to move this important piece of 
legislation forward. I look forward to participating in a hearing on 
these changes later this week followed by a full and open debate on the 
bill before the full House in the near future.

                          ____________________