Pete Domenici: “I want to thank Senator Roth, as chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, for supporting the committee amendment…”

“I want to thank Senator Roth, as chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, for supporting the committee amendment that is pending now, which amendment, essentially, would take out all reference to either the Budget Committee or the Governmental Affairs Committee having any new powers to pass judgment on a bill's relevance, on this bill fitting the definition, and on this bill exceeding the amount of money that are the limits in this bill. It essentially is saying that we do not need to create new authority in a new committee, and certainly not of the type found on page 25, which I really do not believe that the Senate, under any circumstance, would have approved. Because it says that the Government Reform and Oversight Committee in the House and Governmental Affairs Committee in the Senate would make final determinations. Essentially what we want on points of order is whether a bill or an amendment or resolution fits the definition of a mandate, and then what we need is to find out if it breaks the $50 million mark in terms of cost to local government--we need that decision made by the U.S. Senate, not by a committee.”