WASHINGTON, DC -- Congressman Collin C. Peterson (DFL-7th District) today attended the President's signing of the Unfunded Mandate Reform Law of 1995.
"This legislation was one of the first things we took up this Congress, and I was pleased to be there when the bill was signed into law," Peterson said. "The President invited me and other members of The Coalition to the event today to show his appreciation for the work we have done to make this a better bill."
The Unfunded Mandate Reform Law makes it more difficult for the Federal government to impose mandates on states, counties, and cities without paying for their full costs of compliance. This is done by requiring Congress to assess the costs of new mandates, and by requiring that the House and Senate cast explicit majority votes if they want to impose new unfunded mandates that cost more than $50 million a year. The measure also directs federal agencies to assess mandates in their regulations, and to provide for meaningful input by state, local, and tribal officials in the development of regulations containing significant federal mandates.
Congressman Peterson was an original cosponsor of the Unfunded Mandate Reform Act of 1995. In addition, he was a founding member of the Unfunded Mandates Caucus.