Political Quotes

“I rise in support of H.R. 5, the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act of 1995. Eight years ago, Gov. George Voinovich of the State of Ohio spelled out exactly why this legislation is so necessary. He said: Over the past 20 years, we have seen the expansion of the Federal Government into new, nontraditional domestic policy areas. We have experienced a tremendous increase in the proclivity of Washington both to preempt State and local authority and to mandate actions on State and local governments. The cumulative effect of a series of actions by the Congress, the Executive Branch, and the U.S. Supreme Court have caused some legal scholars to observe that while constitutional federalism is alive in scholarly treaties, it has expired as a practical political reality. I support H.R. 5, Mr. Chairman, because it restores balance to the Federal, State, and local relationship envisioned by the Framers of the 10th amendment. Under the current system of mandating, State and local leaders are forced to cut vital services and raise taxes. But worse yet, mandates deprive citizens and their elected representatives of one of the most fundamental responsibilities of good government: the ability to prioritize government services. The public is not well-served when Congress arrogantly passes on new mandates that force mayors to think twice about putting new police officers on the street or Governors to delay implementing needed reforms in education.”