Mark Hatfield: “I rise in support of the Gregg amendment. I support this amendment because, like many Senators, I have heard from…”

“I rise in support of the Gregg amendment. I support this amendment because, like many Senators, I have heard from hundreds of citizens in my State about the burdens of mandates, and I agree with Senator Gregg that the practice of passing the responsibility for Federal priorities to State and local government must stop. However, I would like to note that the Gregg amendment might be applied to the operations and maintenance of local public water systems, and I believe this may take the ``unfunded mandates'' argument a step too far. As with many other programs, providing safe drinking water is a shared responsibility among the Federal, State and local governments. We must strike a balance between guaranteeing that all people in this country have access to safe drinking water and allowing local communities to set local priorities. In general, daily operation and maintenance costs--including testing for contaminants--should be the responsibility of the local community and should be funded locally. Despite my misgivings about its scope, my vote in favor of the amendment offered by my friend from New Hampshire, Senator Gregg, is a clear statement of my support for an end to the practice of unfunded Federal mandates.”