Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Federal State Relations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sen. Bob Bennett tells House committee the trend is returning responsibilities to states
Summary
Senator Bob Bennett addressed the House Committee as a Whole, urging preparation for federal‑to‑state devolution of programs such as welfare and Medicaid and discussing the fiscal and implementation challenges states will face.
Senator Bob Bennett spoke to the House as a Whole about a bipartisan trend in Congress to devolve many responsibilities back to the states, using welfare reform as a recent example. Bennett said giving states more control requires attention to transitional management and adequate funding and cautioned that implementation capability varies across states.
He described ongoing Senate work to craft a bipartisan balanced‑budget approach and defended the idea that states should frame policy choices appropriate to local conditions. Members asked about timing, funding and managerial capacity; Bennett acknowledged the transitional risk and said he would pursue attention to those details in Washington.
The floor then returned to business and the Committee as a Whole was dissolved.
