Federal Mandates: Unfunded Requirements Concern State and Local Officials

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the perspectives of state and local government representatives on the impact of unfunded federal mandates. GAO noted that: (1) state and local officials are concerned with the cost of mandates, the lack of flexibility and impact of mandates on local budgets, and the absence of evidence to support the need for some mandates; (2) the costs of implementing unfunded mandates are difficult to measure; (3) although growing concern about the effects of mandates on state and local governments has generated a variety of countermeasures, no uniform solutions have been found; and (4) legislative initiatives to restrict the passage of unfunded mandates have been introduced at the state and federal levels of government.