Joseph Knollenberg: “the 10th amendment states that powers not delegated to the Federal Government will be reserved to the States and the…”

“the 10th amendment states that powers not delegated to the Federal Government will be reserved to the States and the people--not the other way around. However, the Federal Government has turned this amendment on its head by passing on to the States the costs of legislation it cannot afford. This costs States and taxpayers billions of dollars and countless hours in an effort to comply with extraneous regulation. The States are being forced to sacrifice their own programs and priorities in order to comply with Federal regulations. In my own State, we passed the Headlee amendment to the Michigan Constitution in 1978. This prevents the State from imposing mandates on local governments. This has worked to the advantage of the entire State; saving money and cutting burdensome regulation for local governments. The proposed Federal Unfunded Mandate Reform Act will allow greater flexibility for State and local governments, more accountability for Congress and savings for the American taxpayers. Mr. Speaker, if the Federal Government cannot pay for it, we should not force the costs on the States. It is time we take responsibility for our own actions.”