again, in looking to the Budget Act and what may be some precedent that we could point to, if in fact CBO were to determine and so state that regardless of how much time they had they simply could not come up with an estimate, the…

with regard to the comment that the Senator from Ohio made, which I think sets the stage for the historic nature of this legislation, that is, that this is the first legislation since the New Deal in which we are redefining this…

I think on this nuclear issue in the future, nuclear waste, et cetera, there ought to be an opportunity for these Senators to begin to forge a partnership to deal with this issue.

the burden of proof in this case would be upon the Senator raising the point of order. The originator of the amendment is not required to get the CBO estimate. I think that it would be good government for anyone bringing an amendment that…

At that press conference, we had mayors from around the country. We had Victor Ashe, from Knoxville, TN. We had Greg Lashutka, who is Senator Glenn's mayor, from Columbus, OH; Rich Daley, the mayor of Chicago--all of them in strong…

I have no intention, whatever, that this would have any adverse affects on DOE waste cleanup. I say that, Mr. President, as a resolution of the State of Idaho, which also has significant DOE waste cleanup problems. So I would not be an…

For example, this year, Los Angeles County employees would have to forgo cost-of-living and other wage adjustments, and aid to indigents will be substantially reduced. Several libraries are being closed. Recipients of welfare and public…

just 2 weeks ago--on January 9--a Federal judge issued a decision which threatens all approved and ongoing activities within six of Idaho's national forests. Working men and women in Idaho face losing their jobs in mines, lumber mills, and…

I appreciate so much the sensitivity of the Senator from Wisconsin to the issue of the amendment which he has offered. It was a pleasure to work with the Senator on the language of that amendment. With regard to this side of the aisle, we…

as we talk about this process, it was at the urging of the mayors and Governors that we took S. 993, which was last year's bill and is the core of this introduced bill. It was a great first step. But we have taken it another step, again at…

Assuring public safety, curbing unfunded federal mandates, and building strong local economies are the most important priorities for America's cities and towns, according to the National League of Cities' annual opinion survey of municipal…

I appreciate the arguments that were made by the Senator. But drawing the distinction with Congress, he is dealing with legislation. With a regulatory agency, you are dealing with regulations. It may be that that regulatory agency is then…

No, I--again, I do not know if that is encouraging some vagueness. I think the authorizing committee would say narrow that range. If CBO comes back and says this is the figure or the figures, then that is their estimate. It does not create…

I hope that we will refrain from being retroactive on the history of what may or may not have happened with this bill, that bill, what this side did, what that side did. One of the benefits of S. 1 is the fact that there are 63 Senators…

we now have before us Senate bill No. 1, our efforts to curb unfunded Federal mandates. This begins now the sixth day of debate on this bill. During the course of the debate, we had concerns that were expressed because committee reports…

I want to join my voice with so many other voices in expressing sorrow at the loss of Rose Kennedy, a woman who epitomized, I think, strength and class and grace; and say to Senator Kennedy and all the members of the Kennedy family that…

the legislation would identify the effective date, but it would be based, again, upon input from a whole variety of resources and sources. Again, with all due respect, I do not think you could simply take one chart, numbers, and say…

I am one who would advocate that Congress should not just establish some mandate in infinity.

I would be happy to sit down and see what perhaps we could design here because if in fact what the Senator is suggesting is that rather than trying to have CBO give an estimate that is many, many years down there, that there can be updated…

The CBO is to make a 5-year estimate. Based upon the input from State and local officials, I would think the committee would then ask either CBO, or based upon the input from those State and local officials: What is the effective date…

Again, right now, I do not think this legislation states what a range is--it is silent on that question.

if it is a situation where we are in essence providing more funds than are necessary to carry out the mandate, then, yes, we need to have a mechanism because that is taxpayers' precious money, and we do not want to abuse that by having it…

In that hypothetical where you say it is between $10 million and $60 million, that you take the midrange, the reason that I would be an advocate that you take the larger range is because S. 1 is based upon the presumption we are going to…

I had some discussion with the Senator from Wisconsin about this, and I understand the intent and I appreciate the intent of this. It sounds to me like it may be an incentive for States to continue to be progressive and know that there may…

again we are not plowing new ground here. We are following the procedures of the Budget Act. Again, I have been advised that rarely do they come up with a range. If you have a range that is a wide range, from CBO, then I think perhaps the…