Douglas Alexander: “there is no doubt this is an unfunded Federal mandate. We can talk about that more this week. Some of my colleagues on…”

“there is no doubt this is an unfunded Federal mandate. We can talk about that more this week. Some of my colleagues on my side have come up and said that does not sound like an unfunded mandate. I thought an unfunded mandate was when we told you you had to do something and pay for it. But if I tell you you have to stop doing something, that you cannot collect that tax, that is a cost I have imposed on you. If I and the Congress say to Governor Alexander, in Tennessee, ``Stop collecting property taxes, stop collecting sales taxes,'' then I have to go think of some other tax--lower taxes here; higher taxes there. Nothing makes local officials madder than some Member of the U.S. Senate or Congress to come up here and have some big idea and pass a law, and take credit for it--lower taxes on the Internet--and then send the bill home to them and then that same Member of Congress or Senator is usually down to the district the next weekend making a big speech about local control. Nothing gets the blood up in a Senator or Governor or mayor or county commissioner more than that, and that is exactly what we are doing. If the Congress wants to create a big, additional tax break for high-speed Internet access, then Congress should pay for it and not send the bill to State and local governments.”