[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S10661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           THE NEED FOR REAUTHORIZATION OF PUBLIC LAW 106-393

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise to make a few comments regarding the 
Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, or County 
Payments Act as it has been nicknamed.
  Today is a sad day for the 780 counties that benefit from the County 
Payment Act because with the last day of this fiscal year, the act 
expires.
  In 2000, the Congress passed Public Law 106-393 to address the needs 
of the forest counties of America and to focus on creating a new 
cooperative partnership between citizens in forest counties and our 
Federal land management to develop forest health improvement projects 
on public lands and simultaneously stimulate job development and 
community economic stability.
  The act has been an enormous success in achieving and even surpassing 
the goals of Congress. This act has restored programs for students in 
rural schools and prevented the closure of numerous isolated rural 
schools. It has been a primary funding mechanism to provide rural 
school students with educational opportunities comparable to suburban 
and urban students. Over 4,400 rural schools receive funds because of 
this act.
  Next, the act has allowed rural county road districts and county road 
departments to address the severe maintenance backlog. Snow removal has 
been restored for citizens, tourists, and school buses. Bridges have 
been upgraded and replaced and culverts that are hazardous to fish 
passage have been upgraded and replaced.
  In addition, over 70 Resource Advisory Committees, or RACs have been 
formed. These RACs cover our largest 150 forest counties. Nationally 
these l5-person diverse RAC stakeholder committees have studied and 
approved over 2,500 projects on Federal forestlands and adjacent public 
and private lands. These projects have addressed a wide variety of 
improvements drastically needed on our national forests. Projects have 
included fuels reduction, habitat improvement, watershed restoration, 
road maintenance and rehabilitation, reforestation, campground and 
trail improvement, and noxious weed eradication.
  RACs are a new and powerful partnership between county governments 
and the land management agencies. They are rapidly building the 
capacity for collaborative public land management decisionmaking in 
over 150 of our largest forest counties in America and are reducing the 
gridlock over public land management, community by community.
  The legacy of this act over the last few years is positive and 
substantial. This law should be extended so it can continue to benefit 
the forest counties, their schools, and continue to contribute to 
improving the health of our national forests.
  If we do not work to reauthorize this act, all of the progress of the 
last 6 years will be lost. Schools in timber-dependent communities will 
lose a substantial part of their funding. These school districts will 
have to start making tough budget decisions such as keeping or 
canceling after school programs, sports programs, music programs, and 
trying to determine what is the basic educational needs of our 
children. Next, counties will have to reprioritize road maintenance so 
that only the essential services of the county are met because that is 
all they will be able to afford.
  Thirty of our colleagues have joined Mr. Wyden and myself in 
recognizing the importance of the reauthorization of this act by 
cosponsoring S. 267. And while we have run out of time in this fiscal 
year, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the lameduck 
session to address this issue.

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