Barring a last-minute compromise, the federal government will shutdown on April 9 with the expiration of the sixth continuing resolution passed for FY 2011. Without legislation to provide appropriations, the federal government cannot make or...

The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA) was adopted in an effort "...to curb the practice of imposing unfunded Federal mandates on States and local governments." According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), UMRA defines a...