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Show Dill io Q0G000 eooto Senator Jake Gam Is co-sponsoring co-sponsoring legislation which will serve as a caution light to Congress and sound a warning If federal legislation legisla-tion is too costly for state and local governments to implement or carry out. The bill the State and Local Government Fiscal Note Act of 1981 would require the Congressional Budget office to determine what costs state and local governments would incur in complying with major federal fed-eral programs. Too many new federal programs, pro-grams, no matter how well intentioned, end up costing the states, counties, cities and towns millions and even billions of dollars. Congress extends a carrot car-rot and then beats state and local governments over the head with the stick In the form of hidden Implementation Implementa-tion costs, said Gam. As an example, aSt. Louis bridge was being built with federal funds, but federal requiements for ramps and elevators to serve the handicapped handi-capped would cost the city more than the bridge itself. The cost estimates would only be made for bills and resolutions which are reported re-ported by congressional committees, and which have an annual cost of $200 million mil-lion or more to the state and local governments. I believe this legislation is compatible with President Presi-dent Reagan's promise to thoroughly examine the structure of the federal government gov-ernment and determine the effectiveness of its programs, pro-grams, noted Garn. |