J. Exon: “In a similar vein, Mr. President, the proposal of some to raise the requirement for waiving the new point of order from…”

“In a similar vein, Mr. President, the proposal of some to raise the requirement for waiving the new point of order from a majority vote to 60 votes would also split the bipartisan coalition. Another 60-vote point of order in this context would tie the Senate in knots. If we have seen gridlock over the last decade, this kind of a 60-vote point of order would lead to a glacial gridlock. Mr. President, I was involved in the negotiations that led to the unfunded mandates bill currently before the Senate. There were a few items of the bill that merit further clarification. retroactivity There has been a great deal of confusion surrounding the question of retroactivity in S. 1. Namely, to what mandates does S. 1 apply? And, will mandates already enacted into law be affected by S. 1? The drafters of S. 1 intended that reauthorization of existing laws not be subject to the requirements of S. 1 where the net costs of the legislation do not exceed existing costs of the mandate plus the thresholds established in the legislation.”