June 3, 1998
The Mandates Information Act - S. 389
In the absence of Senator Thompson, who was attending the late Sen. Barry Goldwater's funeral, Senator Brownback chaired this hearing on S. 389, the Mandates Information Act. Senator Abraham and Representative Portman, the Senate and House sponsors of the bill respectively, made their statements in support of the bill, and Representative Portman took questions. (Sen. Abraham had to leave and did not take questions, and Rep. Condit did not testify because he did not return from California in time.) The Congressional Budget Office stated in their prepared testimony and under questioning from Senator Brownback that CBO can do the estimates required under S. 389 and that the point of order is an effective deterrent to new mandates. The third panel was comprised of private sector witnesses. One of the most compelling advocates for S. 389 was a restaurateur from Baltimore who testified to the burden of government mandates on small businesses.
Senators Cleland and Durbin joined Senator Brownback on the dais for a good part of the hearing. Senator Cleland and Senator Durbin raised concerns about the difficulty of estimating the indirect impact of mandates on consumers and workers, and the application of the point of order to private sector mandates even if they are funded. Sen. Cleland indicated that he did not feel the bill was necessary to make him or any other Member legislate more thoughtfully.
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