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In March 1995, President Clinton signed the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, which restricts the ability of Congress to impose costly mandates on states, localities, and tribal governments. (11) Based on analyses required by the Congressional Budget Office, mandates costing states and localities $50 million or more in any of the first five years after becoming effective are not permitted unless waived by majority votes in both the House and Senate. The Act also requires greater intergovernmental consultations in the administrative rulemaking process and allowance for the least expensive means of complying with federal regulations.