The House Wednesday passed the Mandates Information Act 274-149, after rejecting two amendments that would have eased concerns that the bill would make it easier to kill health, environment and labor legislation.
House members first rejected, 216-210, an amendment offered by Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y., that would have allowed floor debate on any affected legislation to return to the bill itself after a 20-minute debate on the bill's cost to the private sector. The House then later defeated, 216-203, an amendment offered by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to specifically exempt health, environment and labor issues from the bill.
In its current form, the bill would allow members to raise a point of order on any bill deemed to impose costs on the private sector of more than $100 million.
The bill's supporters, led by Reps. Gary Condit, D-Calif., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, argued the bill will require members to more carefully consider the costs of legislation on companies. The Boehlert amendment also would have allowed a point of order only if the CBO determined the bill's private sector costs exceeded $100 million or if the CBO had not scored the bill.
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