H-1540.2                  _______________________________________________

                                             HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4017

                              _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

By Representatives Linville, Wolfe, Horn, Wang, Edmondson, Pruitt, Quall, Shin, Sheldon, Grant, Reams, Kremen, Jones, Rayburn, Karahalios, Kessler and Chappell

Read first time 02/19/93.  Referred to Committee on State Government.

Requesting congress to reduce burdensome federal regulations.

          TO THE HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, The State of Washington looks forward to a new Federal-State relationship grounded on the notion that government efficiency and effectiveness results from greater cooperation and better definition of the responsibility for regulating public programs; and

          WHEREAS, A more workable balance must be struck in an effort to provide consistency and accountability through federal requirements on the use of federal funds and the constraint it places on local creativity and innovation; and

          WHEREAS, Greater flexibility in administering federal programs can result in a reduction of costs of the programs, and a more efficient use of federal funds; and

          WHEREAS, A relaxation and loosening of certain restrictive federal regulations can result in positive progress in solving public policy issues on such diverse topics as the federal budget deficit and the current crisis in health care, public education, sustainable economies, and environmental health; and

          WHEREAS, State and local governmental entities have been struggling against the vast number of red-tape constraints of federal regulations; and

          WHEREAS, State and local officials are cognizant of the need for federal policy standards and safeguards that assure a uniformity of service for all individuals, but there is also a need to remove the constraints on innovative efforts to reduce costs and improve service far closer to the point of delivery.  This approach will allow for the implementation of programs rooted in the real life experiences of state and local governments who deliver services to the public;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the President and the Congress of the United States take action to help ease the burden of overly restrictive federal regulations on state and local governments.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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