(a) In general

The Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations shall in accordance with this section—

(1) investigate and review the role of Federal mandates in intergovernmental relations and their impact on State, local, tribal, and Federal government objectives and responsibilities, and their impact on the competitive balance between State, local, and tribal governments, and the private sector and consider views of and the impact on working men and women on those same matters;

(2) investigate and review the role of unfunded State mandates imposed on local governments;

(3) make recommendations to the President and the Congress regarding—

(A) allowing flexibility for State, local, and tribal governments in complying with specific Federal mandates for which terms of compliance are unnecessarily rigid or complex;

(B) reconciling any 2 or more Federal mandates which impose contradictory or inconsistent requirements;

(C) terminating Federal mandates which are duplicative, obsolete, or lacking in practical utility;

(D) suspending, on a temporary basis, Federal mandates which are not vital to public health and safety and which compound the fiscal difficulties of State, local, and tribal governments, including recommendations for triggering such suspension;

(E) consolidating or simplifying Federal mandates, or the planning or reporting requirements of such mandates, in order to reduce duplication and facilitate compliance by State, local, and tribal governments with those mandates;

(F) establishing common Federal definitions or standards to be used by State, local, and tribal governments in complying with Federal mandates that use different definitions or standards for the same terms or principles; and

(G)(i) the mitigation of negative impacts on the private sector that may result from relieving State, local, and tribal governments from Federal mandates (if and to the extent that such negative impacts exist on the private sector); and

(ii) the feasibility of applying relief from Federal mandates in the same manner and to the same extent to private sector entities as such relief is applied to State, local, and tribal governments; and

(4) identify and consider in each recommendation made under paragraph (3), to the extent practicable—

(A) the specific Federal mandates to which the recommendation applies, including requirements of the departments, agencies, and other entities of the Federal Government that State, local, and tribal governments utilize metric systems of measurement; and

(B) any negative impact on the private sector that may result from implementation of the recommendation.

(b) Criteria

(1) In general

The Commission shall establish criteria for making recommendations under subsection (a).

(2) Issuance of proposed criteria

The Commission shall issue proposed criteria under this subsection no later than 60 days after March 22, 1995, and thereafter provide a period of 30 days for submission by the public of comments on the proposed criteria.

(3) Final criteria

No later than 45 days after the date of issuance of proposed criteria, the Commission shall—

(A) consider comments on the proposed criteria received under paragraph (2);

(B) adopt and incorporate in final criteria any recommendations submitted in those comments that the Commission determines will aid the Commission in carrying out its duties under this section; and

(C) issue final criteria under this subsection.

(c) Preliminary report

(1) In general

No later than 9 months after March 22, 1995, the Commission shall—

(A) prepare and publish a preliminary report on its activities under this subchapter, including preliminary recommendations pursuant to subsection (a);

(B) publish in the Federal Register a notice of availability of the preliminary report; and

(C) provide copies of the preliminary report to the public upon request.

(2) Public hearings

The Commission shall hold public hearings on the preliminary recommendations contained in the preliminary report of the Commission under this subsection.

(d) Final report

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No later than 3 months after the date of the publication of the preliminary report under subsection (c), the Commission shall submit to the Congress, including the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on the Budget of the Senate, and the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives, and to the President a final report on the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the Commission under this section.

(e) Priority to mandates that are subject of judicial proceedings

In carrying out this section, the Advisory Commission shall give the highest priority to immediately investigating, reviewing, and making recommendations regarding Federal mandates that are the subject of judicial proceedings between the United States and a State, local, or tribal government.

(f) “State mandate” defined

For purposes of this section the term “State mandate” means any provision in a State statute or regulation that imposes an enforceable duty on local governments, the private sector, or individuals, including a condition of State assistance or a duty arising from participation in a voluntary State program.