Mandates Information Act of 1997

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mandates Information Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Before acting on proposed private sector mandates, the 
        Congress should carefully consider the effects on consumers, 
        workers, and small businesses.
            (2) The Congress has often acted without adequate 
        information concerning the costs of private sector mandates, 
        instead focusing only on the benefits.
            (3) The costs of private sector mandates are often borne in 
        part by consumers, in the form of higher prices and reduced 
        availability of goods and services.
            (4) The costs of private sector mandates are often borne in 
        part by workers, in the form of lower wages, reduced benefits, 
        and fewer job opportunities.
            (5) The costs of private sector mandates are often borne in 
        part by small businesses, in the form of hiring disincentives 
        and stunted growth.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are the following:
            (1) To improve the quality of the Congress' deliberation 
        with respect to proposed mandates on the private sector, by--
                    (A) providing the Congress with more complete 
                information about the effects of such mandates; and
                    (B) ensuring that the Congress acts on such 
                mandates only after focused deliberation on the 
                effects.
            (2) To enhance the ability of the Congress to distinguish 
        between private sector mandates that harm consumers, workers, 
        and small businesses, and mandates that help those groups.

SEC. 4. FEDERAL PRIVATE SECTOR MANDATES.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Estimates.--Section 424(b)(2) of the Congressional 
        Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 658c(b)(2)) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``and'' after 
                the semicolon; and
                    (B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 
                subparagraph (C), and inserting after subparagraph (A) 
                the following:
                    ``(B) the impact (including any disproportionate 
                impact in particular regions or industries) on 
                consumers, workers, and small businesses, of the 
                Federal private sector mandates in the bill or joint 
                resolution, including--
                            ``(i) an analysis of the effect of the 
                        Federal private sector mandates in the bill or 
                        joint resolution on consumer prices and on the 
                        actual supply of goods and services in consumer 
                        markets;
                            ``(ii) an analysis of the effect of the 
                        Federal private sector mandates in the bill or 
                        joint resolution on worker wages, worker 
                        benefits, and employment opportunities; and
                            ``(iii) an analysis of the effect of the 
                        Federal private sector mandates in the bill or 
                        joint resolution on the hiring practices, 
                        expansion, and profitability of businesses with 
                        100 or fewer employees; and''.
            (2) Point of order.--Section 424(b)(3) of the Congressional 
        Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 658c(b)(3)) is amended by adding 
        after the period ``If such determination is made by the 
        Director, a point of order under this part shall lie only under 
        section 425(a)(1) and as if the requirement of section 
        425(a)(1) had not been met.''.
            (3) Threshold amounts.--Section 425(a)(2) of the 
        Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 658d(a)(2)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) by striking ``Federal intergovernmental 
                mandates by an amount that causes the thresholds 
                specified in section 424(a)(1)'' and inserting 
                ``Federal mandates by an amount that causes the 
                thresholds specified in section 424 (a)(1) or (b)(1)''; 
                and
                    (B) by inserting ``, in the case of Federal 
                intergovernmental mandates exceeding the thresholds 
                specified in section 424(a)(1)'' after ``unless''.
            (4) Application relating to appropriations committees.--
        Section 425(c)(1)(B) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 
        U.S.C. 658d(c)(1)(B)) is amended--
                    (A) in clause (i) by striking 
                ``intergovernmental'';
                    (B) in clause (ii) by striking 
                ``intergovernmental'';
                    (C) in clause (iii) by striking 
                ``intergovernmental''; and
                    (D) in clause (iv) by striking 
                ``intergovernmental''.
            (5) Application relating to congressional budget office.--
        Section 427 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 
        658f) is amended by striking ``intergovernmental''.
    (b) Rules of the House of Representatives.--Clause 5 of rule XXIII 
of the Rules of the House of Representatives (as added by section 107 
of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1514)) is amended 
by striking ``section 424(a)(1)'' and inserting ``section 424 (a)(1) or 
(b)(1)''.
    (c) Exercise of Rulemaking Powers.--This section is enacted by 
Congress--
            (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate 
        and the House of Representatives, respectively, and as such it 
        shall be considered as part of the rules of such House, 
        respectively, and shall supersede other rules only to the 
        extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and
            (2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of 
        either House to change such rules (so far as relating to such 
        House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent 
        as in the case of any other rule of each House.

SEC. 5. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of the Congress that any unfunded mandates that are 
determined by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to exceed 
the applicable threshold under section 424 (a)(1) or (b)(1) of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 658f(a)(1), 658f(b)(1)) 
should be financed through reduced taxes, tax abatements, or direct 
compensation by the Federal Government.

Summary: Mandates Information Act of 1997 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require a congressional committee report on any bill or joint resolution that includes any Federal mandate to contain information concerning the impact of such mandate on consumers, workers, and small businesses, including any disproportionate impact in particular regions or industries. Revises provisions concerning legislation subject to a point of order to: (1) define the point of order for a determination by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office that it is not feasible to determine the economic impact of a Federal mandate. And (2) replace certain references to Federal intergovernmental mandates with references to Federal mandates. Expresses the sense of the Congress that any unfunded mandates that are determined by the CBO Director to exceed the applicable threshold under the Act should be financed through reduced taxes, tax abatements, or direct compensation by the Federal Government.