Doug Bereuter: “this Member rises in strong support of H.R. 5, the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act. As a cosponsor of H.R. 5, this Member is…”

“this Member rises in strong support of H.R. 5, the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act. As a cosponsor of H.R. 5, this Member is pleased to see this important legislation receive such prompt consideration on the House Floor. This Member commends the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Clinger], the distinguished gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Portman], the distinguished gentleman from California [Mr. Condit], and the distinguished gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Davis] for their introduction of this legislation. Mr. Chairman, in recent decades Congress has dramatically increased the number of mandates it has imposed on States and local governments without providing adequate funding to fulfill the requirements. In other words, while Congress has passed the buck, it hasn't forwarded the bucks. When I was first the community affairs director, Federal-State relations coordinator, and then State planning director for my home State in the late 1960's, on a daily basis I saw vivid examples of the senselessness and cost of a great many unfunded mandates visited upon local and State government, and I did what I could to push for reforms and changes. Since then the number of mandates and their costs and negative impacts have only increased, both by actions of an unheeding Congress and by the inflexibility and policymaking excesses of Federal bureaucrats.”