Gary Condit: “I am excited and delighted to be here today. This is a long time coming. What this really does, I think, across the…”

“I am excited and delighted to be here today. This is a long time coming. What this really does, I think, across the country is give us a ray of hope, because a couple of years ago when we started with the unfunded mandate issue, we were told by experts inside the beltway that 'This cannot be achieved; you will never get an unfunded mandate bill through the House, through the Senate, and get the President to sign it. It cannot be done.' Let me say, we are going to do it today. In the next couple of weeks, the President will sign this piece of legislation. He has already indicated his support in the past, and has indicated his support to this conference committee report. This is a ray of hope to the American people and to local elected officials across this country that we can come to grips with problems facing this country here in Congress; that we Republicans and Democrats can come together and find a solution. We have found a solution, and this is a bipartisan solution.”