George P. Radanovich: “when I first began public service as a member of a country planning commission, I carried into office what turned out to…”

“when I first began public service as a member of a country planning commission, I carried into office what turned out to be a naive notion. I thought that our community's elected officials were free to do what they best believed served the citizenry. In some respects that was and is the case. However, what I failed to factor in was Uncle Sam's ability to determine what was best and to make us pay for it, like it or not. Imposing obligations on local government from distant beltway bureaucracies, but without Federal dollars to pay for them, is wrong, and H.R. 5 will right that. Today we are considering a reform of the federal system itself and return to the relationship between the Federal Government and various State and local government agencies that reflects a partnership in the activity of governing. A relief from additional Federal mandates on State and local governments will take a long stride toward correcting the imbalance of this relationship. It becomes again our opportunity to continue the reform begun when this 104th Congress convened.”