Christopher Shays: “I have waited 7 years to have the opportunity to vote and to speak on an unfunded mandate bill. I just have to thank the…”

“I have waited 7 years to have the opportunity to vote and to speak on an unfunded mandate bill. I just have to thank the authors of this legislation, Mr. Clinger, Mr. Portman, Mr. Condit, for their work over a number of years. I thank them for the opportunity to vote on this bill, one I really believe in. Why is it that Republican and Democrat governors throughout the country want this bill? Why is it that Republican and Democrat mayors want this bill? Why is it that our county executives throughout this country, Republicans and Democrat, want this bill? And a few in this Chamber do not? I do not understand it. To me, it is extraordinarily fair. My concept of an unfunded mandate bill did not reach the status of Mr. Condit, I thought. I thought at least knowledge to the private sector of what it was going to cost, knowledge to the public sector of what is was going to cost, was tremendously important for us to know when we voted out a bill; something that we have not had in the past. This to me is a logical compromise between the two positions.”