Gary Condit: “I just rise to hopefully once again add a little perspective to this debate in the quick 1-minute time I have here. This…”

“I just rise to hopefully once again add a little perspective to this debate in the quick 1-minute time I have here. This amendment I oppose and all amendments that come on this floor to weaken this bill I want Members to know, I oppose, and I am encouraging my colleagues to oppose. Not because we are against this amendment or a lot of the amendments that have been offered in terms of their substance. We think they are good programs, and we ought to have an opportunity to look at those programs in a more lengthy and substantive way. We can do that with this bill, by the way. This bill does not say we cannot do these things. It just simply says that we have to pay for them if we mandate the costs on local and state government. Once again, this bill is prospective. It does not do anything to these past programs. Does not mean we cannot do these good programs. It just says that we have to take the responsibility and accountability to pay for them. So let us not weaken this bill. Let us keep this bill strong. And let us defeat these amendments. I want to say, if Members look at the tally up here tonight, there is a bipartisan support in defeat of these amendments. We have 60 to 70 Democrats voting with my colleagues, the Republicans, in defeating these amendments. This is a bipartisan effort. Let me tell Members, we need to be at the business of putting a stop to unfunded mandates. We do not need to send out of this House a weak version.…”