Political Quotes

“I am pleased to rise as an original cosponsor of S. 1, the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act of 1995. As a long-time supporter and cosponsor of related legislation in the previous session of Congress, I welcome the leadership of the majority leader, Senator Dole, and the bill's very able manager, Senator Kempthorne, for bringing S. 1 before the Senate so expeditiously. In addition to unduly burdening our local governments, Congress, in its Big Brother role, often ignores States' rights in determining what is best for the States. It also demands that the States figure out how to pay for those unwanted mandates. In the last Congress, officials in my own State of Virginia made a clear case concerning the enormous burden of unfunded mandates. Virginia's finance committee staff conducted a review on Federal mandates and the burdens they exact. I would like to share some of those findings with my colleagues today. While Federal mandates are in general the result of well-intentioned congressional action, State governments are all too often left holding the bag. Virginia views the pervasive Federal influence on its budget as a two-edged sword: Federal restrictions on the use of funds hamstring the Commonwealth's ability to determine spending priorities or respond to changing economic conditions. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, at least 20 percent of the State budget is either driven, defined, or constrained by Federal laws, regulations, or Federal agency decisions.”