Those Unfunded Mandates(Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 NOT WORKING)

[papau]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42186-2005Mar16.html

Those Unfunded Mandates(Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 NOT WORKING)

By David S. Broder
Thursday, March 17, 2005; Page A25

Ten years ago this week, Congress was in the final stage of a truly bitter battle. A Senate debate that began on Jan. 12 stretched over 15 days and forced 44 roll-call votes. The House debated the companion bill for eight days in February and had to dispose of more than 30 amendments before reaching final passage. It took five more weeks of difficult negotiations to get agreement on a final version, signed into law by President Bill Clinton on March 22, 1995.

And what was this highly controversial piece of legislation? It has the sexless title of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, or UMRA.

Basically, it was no more than a requirement that committees of Congress, when writing a bill that would impose new duties on states, local governments or private companies, obtain an estimate of the additional costs they would entail and make those part of their report on the legislation.

Under the newly approved procedure, any mandate that would cost state or local governments more than $50 million a year, or private business $100 million, would be subject to a point of order during debate -- and legislators would have to vote specifically that the benefit was worth the cost.

This modest nod to the interests of the other levels of government was bitterly resisted by Washington-knows-best legislators. Democrats, whose 40-year grip on the House of Representatives had just been shattered by the Republican revolution of 1994, were overwhelmingly opposed. <SNIP>