00 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 49                                                                                          
01 Urging the Congress to reevaluate its practice of imposing unfunded mandates on                                         
02 state and local governments.                                                                                            
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04  WHEREAS federal mandates require state and local governments to perform duties                                         
05 without consideration of local circumstances, costs, or capacity under threat of financial                              
06 penalties for noncompliance; and                                                                                        
07  WHEREAS federal mandates require compliance regardless of other pressing local                                         
08 needs and priorities affecting the health, welfare, and safety of the citizens of a state, city, or                     
09 town; and                                                                                                               
10  WHEREAS, when federal mandates are imposed without corresponding federal                                               
11 financial assistance, they cause an excessive burden on state and local governments that forces                         
12 taxpayers to bear a combination of higher taxes or fees and reduced state and local services;                           
13 and                                                                                                                     
14  WHEREAS federal mandates often impose unrealistic time frames and specify the use                                      
01 of particular procedures or facilities when less costly alternatives might be equally effective,                        
02 thereby unnecessarily increasing the cost of complying with the mandates; and                                           
03  WHEREAS previously imposed unfunded mandates have resulted in harsh pressures                                          
04 on state and local budgets, and the Congress appears to be continuing its past practice of                              
05 imposing new unfunded mandates on state and local governments; and                                                      
06  WHEREAS the cumulative burden of these unfunded mandates directly affects the                                          
07 citizens of our states, cities, and towns;                                                                              
08  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature endorses the efforts of national,                                     
09 state, and local organizations to fully inform citizens about the effects of unfunded federal                           
10 mandates on our governments and on individual citizens; and be it                                                       
11  FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the members                                              
12 of the Alaska delegation to work within the Congress to educate other members about the                                 
13 effects of unfunded federal mandates, to promote reevaluation of the Congress's practice of                             
14 imposing unfunded mandates, and to take actions necessary to reduce their burden on our                                 
15 citizens; and be it                                                                                                     
16  FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislature urges the citizens of the state to support                                       
17 congressional actions that will bring about an end to unfunded federal mandates.                                        
18  COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice-President                                  
19 of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Robert C. Byrd, President                          
20 Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Thomas S. Foley, Speaker of the U.S. House                                
21 of Representatives; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski,                                 
22 U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                  
23 delegation in Congress.