Feeling The Pressure of Federal Mandates?

Ease the pressure and lighten the load.

Attend the ACIR Conference on Federal Mandates

March 6-7, 1996 The Washington Hilton Hotel

Here's the question... What do the White House, members of Congress, state and local officials, government employees, the academic community, private companies, and millions of American citizens have in common?

The answer... Many, if not most, agree that while certain issues benefit from federal oversight, federal mandates aren't always the best way to achieve national goals.

Many would also argue that states, localities, and the private sector have been left out of the decision-making process. This conference will provide participants with the opportunity to debate the merits and problems of mandates and regulatory issues affecting those entities.

As part of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995, Congress directed the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) to make recommendations on whether to modify, suspend, or terminate specific existing mandates. This conference will let participants evaluate and comment on ACIR's preliminary recommendations.

If you feel the impact of mandates, this conference is your opportunity to learn which issues ACIR has identified as the most important or most troublesome. It's also your opportunity to make your positions on these issues and ACIR's recommendations a part of the permanent record.

Speakers and Moderators Include:

President William J. Clinton (invited)  Sen. Robert Dole (invited)Sen. Dirk Kempthorne                    Members of the US SenateMembers of the US House                 Members of The CabinetFederal Department Administrators               GovernorsState Legislators                       County CommissionersMayors                                  AcademiciansThe Private Sector

Who Should Attend:

Elected State and Local Government Officials
State Executive Branch Officials
State Legislative Staff
Federal Regulatory Agency Personnel
Congressional Staff
Local Government Agency Officials
Staff and Members of Non-Profit Organizations
Private Sector Executives and Liaison Staff
Academic Faculty and Public Policy Researchers, and
Representatives of Public Sector Employee Organizations

Conference Day One:

Wednesday, March 6, 1996

7:30 a.m.            Registration8:30 - 8:45     Welcome - Hon. William Winter, ACIR Chairman8:45 - 10:30    Plenary Session

A New Approach to Congressional Legislation
Hon Dirk Kempthorne (invited), U.S. Senate

Intergovernmental Principles Emerging from ACIR's Mandate Studies -
Hon. Bob Graham (ACIR Commission Member), U.S. Senate
Hon. Dick Nathan (ACIR Commission Member), Director, Rockafeller Institute of Government

10:30 - 10:45        Break10:45 - 12:15   Concurrent Seminars

Current Efforts to Reform Federal Regulatory Impacts on State and Local Government

Current regulatory reform bills would require federal agencies to assess the impacts of proposed regulation involve state and local governments in regulatory development processes, and allow waivers of federal requirements hindering the integration of two or more federal programs under an approved flexibility plan. This seminar will feature expert panelists from federal, state, and local governments who will:

Debate regulatory reform bills under consideration by Congress
Evaluate recent efforts by federal agencies to improve their regulatory processes

Moderator: Larry Halloran, Staff Director, U.S. House Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations

Measuring the Costs and benefits of Mandates

The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 requires ACIR to study the techniques used to assess the costs, benefits, and feasibility of federal mandates. During this seminar, panels of federal, state, and local representatives will:

Review the current methods used to assess regulation
Discuss the feasibility, approaches, and issues in measuring the costs and benefits of federal mandates.

Moderator: Dr. Mark Rosentraub, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana Univeristy

Relieving State Mandates on Local Governments

Several states have taken statutory or executive action to relieve the burden of federal and state mandates on local governments. Panelists from state and local levels of government will:

Look at the current progress of state mandate relief efforts
Look at the influence mandates have on state regulatory processes

Moderator: Bruce M. Todd, Mayor, City of Austin, Texas

12:30 - 2:15 Luncheon Program

Developing a New Partnership with State and Local Governments

Hon. William J. Clinton (Invited)

Introduced by: Richard Riley, Secretary of Education

2:30 - 4:45 Concurrent Workshops

Workshops 1 through 6 will present the findings and recommendations of ACIR's preliminary report on the effects of existing federal mandates on state and local governments. Each workshop will include ACIR Commission members providing attendees the opportunity to directly communicate their views. Panels will also include members of the public, private, and non-profit sectors who will:

Offer comments on ACIR's preliminary findings and recommendations.
Present materials supporting their individual positions.
Respond to the comments and questions of those who wish to participate in an open discussion.

Workshop 1: Environmental Mandates

Moderator: Hon. Gregory Lashutka (ACIR Commission Member), Mayor, City of Columbus, Ohio

Workshop 2: Labor Mandates

Moderator: Hon. Randall Franke (ACIR Commission Member), Commissioner, Marion County, Oregon

Workshop 3: Mandates Affecting Individual Rights

Moderator: Hon. Edward Rendell (ACIR Commission Member), Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

5:00 - 6:00  Conference Networking Reception

Hosted by Members of the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations

6:00 - 8:00  Dinner Program

A Future Agenda for Rebalancing American Federalism

Hon. Michael Levitt (ACIR Commission Member), Governor, Utah

Conference Day Two:

Thursday, March 7, 1996

7:00 a.m.    Registration7:30 - 9:00     Plenary Session

A Vision of American Federalism for the 21st Century

Introduction: Hon. Craig Thomas (ACIR Commission Member), United States Senate

Speaker: Hon Robert Dole (Invited), Majority Leader, United States Senate

10:30 - 10:45        Break10:45 - 12:15 p.m.      Concurrent Seminars

Impact of Federal Court Mandates on State and Local Governments

ACIR conducted an inventory of federal court decision from 1994 that imposed mandates on state and local governments or prevented those governments from taking certain action. During this seminar panelists representing differing legal and governmental interests will:

Discuss the ACIR study findings and the problems of federal court decisions for state and local governments.
Debate ways to reduce the burden of federal court decisions on state and local governments

Moderator: Dr. Robert Brauneis, George Washington University

Mandate Relief for the Private Sector

The Unfunded Mandate Reform Act of 1995 requires that ACIR review efforts to relieve the burdens on state and local governments that may impact the private sector. Public and private sector panelists will:

Debate the effects of state and local mandate relief efforts on the private sector.
Examine how similar relief may be extended to the private sector.

Moderator: Thomas Bradshaw, Smith-Barney

The Future Federal Role After Current Reforms Are Implemented

Once Current reforms are implemented, the federal role will change dramatically. this change will be accelerated by current mandate and regulatory reforms, proposals to transfer federal programs to state and local governments, and the growth of block grants. Panelists from federal, state, and local governments will:

Discuss what the future federal role should be.
Review the effects of federal agencies migrating from micromanagement-style regulation to regulation by performance goals and measurement.

Moderator: Paul Posner, Director, Budget Issues, Government Accounting Office

12:30 - 2:15 Luncheon Program

CBO's Approach to Its Responsibilities Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

Speaker: Hon June E. O'Neil, Director, Congressional Budget Office

EPA's Implementation of Title II of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

Speaker: Hon. Carol Browner (invited), Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

2:30 - 4:45  Concurrent Workshops

Health and Social Service Mandates: Transportation Mandates; Metric Mandates

Moderator: Hon. Art Hamilton (ACIR Commission Member), Minority Leader, Arizona House of Representatives

The Impact of Federal Mandates on Smaller Local governments; Litigation Against State and Local Governments

During this workshop, a panel of federal, state, and local government representatives will address two issues that ACIR's preliminary Mandate Report identifies as critical. A general session will follow where attendees can respond to this discussion.

Attendees comments and recommendations may be included in the Commission's final report.

Moderator: Hon. Victor Ashe (ACIR Commission Member), Mayor, City of Knoxville, Tennessee

Consolidating and Simplifying Federal Regulations for State and Local Governments

Part of ACIR's responsibilities under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 is to provide recommendations for consolidating, standardizing and simplifying federal program regulations on state and local governments This workshop will include a panel of federal, state, and local governments to address these issues.

ACIR is also seeking information and recommendations that can be included in its final report on how federal regulatory requirements can better accommodate local governments.

Moderator: Hon. John Stroger, Jr. (ACIR Commission Member), President, Cook County Commissioners, Illinois

Each attendee will receive his or her own copy of ACIR's Preliminary Report on Federal Mandates. Copies are also available from other sources. The Report can be:

Printed or downloaded from ACIR's WWW site as an HTML file;

Downloaded from FedWorld/NTIS's home page at www.fedworld.gov for a cost of $12;

Downloaded from FedWorld/NTIS's bulletin board at (703) 487-4223 for a cost of $12.

ACIR will also send you a printed copy upon request.

So, how do I register for the conference?

Questions or comments regarding the content of this announcement? Contact Tim Smith at ACIR, ir002529@interamp.com

This document is sponsored by the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations on the United States Government Printing Office web site.

Questions or comments regarding this Web server? Contact wwwadmin@www.access.gpo.gov

Page #ACIR-conf February 8, 1996