Mandates Bill Clears Senate Committee

Industry-backed legislation that would require Congress to assess the potential impact of any new mandates on the private sector has cleared another major hurdle on its way to becoming law. After passing the House in May, the bipartisan measure was approved by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee July 15; it now heads for the Senate floor. Written by Sen. Spencer Abraham (R, Mich.) and Rep. Gary Condit (D, Calif.) and titled the Mandates Information Act, the bill would require the Congressional Budget Office to provide data on the impact of any legislation reported out of committee that carries a mandate of $100 million or more on the private sector. It also would allow any lawmaker to raise an objection and call for a separate roll-call vote on such a mandate.