[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      TIMBER-DEPENDENT COMMUNITIES

  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed 
to the immediate consideration of H.R. 4196, a bill to ensure that 
timber-dependent communities qualify for loans and grants from RDA, 
just received from the House; that the bill be read three times, passed 
and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table; that any statement 
relating to the matter be placed in the Record at the appropriate 
place.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  So the bill (H.R. 4196) was deemed read the third time and passed.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I have spoken on the Senate floor many 
times about the great changes overtaking the management of Federal 
forests in the Pacific Northwest. These forests have been the subject 
of bitter debate for years and years. Management decisions have been 
imposed by every branch of Government, from the Federal Government to 
Congress to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Finally last year, the Clinton 
administration decided to end the conflict by proposing a comprehensive 
new strategy for forest management. This plan does not come without 
pain, or without additional controversy. But it does chart a course for 
bringing an end to conflict, and it is now in the process of 
implementation.
  I made one central point then, and I'll reaffirm again it now. When 
government decides to change policy, it has an obligation to help 
people adjust to the change. In this case, it has meant providing 
stability, economic diversification incentives, retraining choices, and 
new forest management initiatives that will provide local governments, 
small businesses, and individuals with options for the future. When 
President Clinton announced his new forest management strategy, I 
committed to my constituents to doing everything I could to steer the 
accompanying economic package through Congress.
  Today I join my colleagues from the Pacific Northwest, Senators 
Hatfield and Gorton, in support of legislation that will put one of the 
important pieces in place. This bill is important to my State and 
region because it makes an existing program work better for people 
there.
  One of the centerpieces of the Northwest Economic Adjustment 
Initiative is the Rural Development Administration. This agency 
administers many programs tailored specifically to foster small 
business growth and community development in small town America. There 
are three programs in particular--essential community facilities loans, 
business enterprise loans, and business enterprise grants--that have 
been targeted on the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, these programs 
are tailored in such a way that some communities fall through the 
cracks. Some towns, such as Aberdeen and Pt. Angeles on the Olympic 
Peninsula, are not eligible for funds under these programs because of 
arbitrary population standards.
  This bill, H.R. 4196, repairs this flaw in the law. It does this by 
requiring special consideration of communities having populations of 
not more than 25,000. If this bill is enacted into law, Pt. Angeles and 
Aberdeen, as well as other towns in the region, will be eligible for 
grants and loans under the programs I mentioned above.
  The Clinton administration has been working diligently since last 
year with the governors of Washington, Oregon, and California to 
identify existing programs, improvements to such programs, and other 
initiatives that communities can use to help chart an economic course 
for the future. As part of his economic diversification program, he 
proposed, and the Senate has approved, significant increases for RDA 
programs. But the joint Federal-state working group also identified 
changes that could make the program work better. Today we propose to 
make such a change.
  I note here for the Record that I have introduced companion 
legislation, S. 2492, in the Senate. H.R. 4196 as passed by the other 
body contains only one change: It includes a 5-year sunset clause that 
keeps the proposed changes in effect only during the period the 
Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative is in effect.
  Under these amendments to the Rural Development Act, towns and 
counties in rural areas adjacent to national forests, and people within 
them, will have access to needed resources. These programs makes sense: 
It puts resources in the hands of people who know what to do with them; 
it minimizes overhead; and focuses narrowly on the problem without a 
lot of red tape.
  Mr. President, I would like to commend the excellent work of Senator 
Leahy of Vermont, the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, and his 
staff in helping put this bill together. I would also like to thank 
Senator Hatfield for his leadership and sensitivity in this time of 
challenge for our region. This is a good bill, and I urge all my 
colleagues to support its passage.

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