On the recordJanuary 19, 1995
no district needs an unfunded mandate bill more than mine. We are close to insolvency in part because of mandates. Thoughtless mandates are a regressive tax. But we deserve better than this blunderbuss bill that throws out the baby with the bath water and then throws in the tub for good measure. It is irresponsible to try to fix all mandates with one bill. This bill applies to everything from Medicaid, which is 80 percent funded, to crime bill measures like sexual predator, which are completely unfunded. Yet the critical vote on every bill will be on costs. This bill is brimming with unintended consequences. It is not about mandates. The real subject has not been discussed here, and that is the appropriate role of Federalism in the 21st century. We need an unfunded mandate bill, but in the vernacular of the streets, this ain't it.
Source
govinfo.gov
