II
Calendar No. 25
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 350
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 23, 1999
Received
MARCH 2, 1999
Read the first time
MARCH 3, 1999
Read the second time and placed on the calendar
AN ACT
To improve congressional deliberation on proposed Federal
private sector mandates, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
HR 350 PCS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mandates Information
Act of 1999’’.
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 ade-
quate information concerning the costs of private
sector mandates, instead focusing only on the bene-
fits.
(3) The implementation of the Unfunded Man-
dates Reform Act of 1995 has resulted in increased
awareness of intergovernmental mandates without
impacting existing environmental, public health, or
safety laws or regulations.
(4) The implementation of this Act will enhance
the awareness of prospective mandates on the pri-
vate sector without adversely affecting existing envi-
ronmental, public health, or safety laws or regula-
tions.
(5) 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.
HR 350 PCS
(1) ESTIMATES.—Section 424(b)(2) of the Con-
gressional 
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 subpara-
graph (A) the following:
‘‘(B) when applicable, the impact (includ-
ing 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, work-
er benefits, and employment opportunities;
and
HR 350 PCS
‘‘(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
the following: ‘‘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 require-
ment of section 425(a)(1) had not been met.’’.
(3) THRESHOLD AMOUNTS.—Section 425(a) of
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C.
658d(a)) is amended by—
(A) striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at
the end of paragraph (1) and redesignating
paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
(B) inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing new paragraph:
‘‘(2) any bill, joint resolution, amendment, mo-
tion, or conference report that would increase the di-
rect costs of Federal private sector mandates (ex-
cluding any direct costs that are attributable to reve-
nue resulting from tax or tariff provisions of any
HR 350 PCS
such measure if it does not raise net tax and tariff
revenues over the 5-fiscal-year period beginning with
the first fiscal year such measure affects such reve-
nues) by an amount that causes the thresholds spec-
ified in section 424(b)(1) to be exceeded; and’’.
(4) APPLICATION
RELATING
TO
APPROPRIA-
TIONS
COMMITTEES.—(A) Section 425(c)(1)(A) of
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C.
658d(c)(1)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘except’’.
(B) Section 425(c)(1)(B) of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 658d(c)(1)(B)) is
amended—
(i) in clause (i) by striking ‘‘intergovern-
mental’’;
(ii) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘intergovern-
mental’’;
(iii) in clause (iii) by striking ‘‘intergovern-
mental’’; and
(iv) in clause (iv) by striking ‘‘intergovern-
mental’’.
(5) 
THRESHOLD
BURDEN.—(A) 
Section
426(b)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974
(2 U.S.C. 658e(b)(2)) is amended by inserting ‘‘leg-
islative’’ before ‘‘language’’.
HR 350 PCS
(B) Section 426(b)(2) of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 658e(b)(2)) is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘section 425 or subsection (a) of this
section’’ and inserting ‘‘part B’’.
(6) QUESTION OF CONSIDERATION.—(A) Sec-
tion 426(b)(3) of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974 (2 U.S.C. 658e(b)(3)) is amended by striking
‘‘section 425 or subsection (a) of this section’’ and
inserting ‘‘part B’’.
(B) Section 426(b)(3) of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 658e(b)(3)) is amend-
ed by inserting ‘‘, except that not more than one
point of order shall be recognized by the Chair under
section 425(a)(1) or (a)(2)’’ before the period.
(7) APPLICATION
RELATING
TO
CONGRES-
SIONAL BUDGET OFFICE.—Section 427 of the Con-
gressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 658f) is
amended by striking ‘‘intergovernmental’’.
(b) RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—
Clause 11(b) of rule XVIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives is amended by striking ‘‘intergovern-
mental’’ and by striking ‘‘section 424(a)(1)’’ and inserting
‘‘section 424 (a)(1) or (b)(1)’’.
(c) EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING POWERS.—This sec-
tion is enacted by Congress—