Mark Hatfield: “the Local Empowerment and Flexibility Act is designed to create a new spirit of cooperation among Federal, State, and…”

“the Local Empowerment and Flexibility Act is designed to create a new spirit of cooperation among Federal, State, and local governments. It is important to remember that the solution to the problems in our intergovernmental system is a recognition that all of our bodies of government--Federal, State, local, and school districts--are interdependent. Each part of our system brings special talents, special skills, and special needs to the service of the people of the United States. It is time to transform the Federal-State-local relationship. This transformation must build on the strengths of all of the different governments in our country and must be based on trust, cooperation, and flexibility. The Local Empowerment and Flexibility Act will lead to strategic and realistic decentralization and deconcentration of power throughout the Government. The idea behind this legislation has four key aspects. First, different governments of this Nation have different strengths. The Federal Government does two things well: Effectively establishing broad goals that tie us together as a Nation; and achieving certain economies of scale which cannot be attained at the local level. The Federal Government often forgets that local governments bring a great deal of resources to the table. Perhaps the greatest strength is that States and local governments are innovators.…”