WHEREAS:

            Historically, the federal government set nationwide minimum standards to protect the health, safety and civil rights of all citizens, while state and local governments shared with the federal government the costs for the administration and enforcement of those standards; and

WHEREAS:

            State and city officials confronted with unrelenting financial problems are spearheading national efforts to reduce "unfunded federal mandates;" and

WHEREAS:

            Unfunded mandates legislation, such as S. 993 and H.R. 140 and other similar legislation are overly broad and would effectively end the federal government's ability to pass laws and issue regulations protecting the health, safety or civil rights of citizens unless the federal government provides all the necessary funding to pay all direct costs incurred by state and local governments; and

WHEREAS:

            If such legislation had already been enacted, states would not have had to comply with such laws as the National Voter Registration Act, the National "Child Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Brady bill, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and many other laws; and

WHEREAS:

            Passage of unfunded mandates legislation would derail vital new initiatives such as health care reform and reauthorization of crucial environmental and worker health and safety laws, including OSHA reform legislation which, for the first time, would include public employees under its protections; and

WHEREAS:

            Unfunded mandates legislation ignores and detracts from the real issue which is lack of adequate federal funding for the delivery of important services and safeguards.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME oppose unfunded mandates legislation and support full funding of vital public services and safeguards; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME work with federal, state and local governments to resolve the issue of relative responsibility for the administration and enforcement of laws protecting the health, safety and rights of American citizens; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME encourage members of Congress who have cosponsored unfunded mandates legislation to remove their cosponsorship and ask all members of Congress to oppose such legislation.

SUBMITTED BY:

Dominic J Badolato, President and Delegate
AFSCME Local 1303, Council 4 
Connecticut