Political Quotes

“last week my colleague Senator Lankford and I introduced the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act--a bill to enhance transparency about the true costs of burdensome Federal regulations affecting our States and localities. Twenty years ago the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, otherwise known as UMRA, was signed into law to reduce the burden of Federal mandates on State and local governments, as well as the private sector. The statute was intended to fix a simple problem while promoting informed decisions by this Congress. But since UMRA's enactment in 1995, many remain concerned that the law has fallen short. In Nebraska and all across America, our constituents continue to face a growing mountain of redtape that stifles economic growth and holds back progress on a number of fronts. In 2011 alone the Government Accountability Office identified 14 different loopholes that would allow government agencies to avoid conducting the UMRA analysis. In other words, redtape has survived and prospered. By their very nature, Federal mandates are both complex and vague, which is why I have introduced a new bill to fix these shortcomings and increase accountability. My bill, known as the Unfunded Mandates and Information Transparency Act, would address UMRA's loopholes by mandating stricter agency requirements, enhance stakeholder input, and strengthen enforcement mechanisms. Furthermore, this bill has the power to get the job done.…”