[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 5, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S14777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            COUNTY PAYMENTS

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues, especially Senator 
Murray and Senator Menendez, for their courtesy. I will be brief.
  Today the House and Senate announced a historic package to address 
the energy crisis facing our Nation. But in addition, as part of that 
important legislation, the agreement contains more than $1.8 billion in 
desperately needed funding for our Nation's rural schools, counties, 
and communities.
  Without the safety net funding provided as part of the energy 
legislation, rural communities across this country could literally be 
wiped off the map. Without this critical funding, rural counties across 
America will once again be staring down into a precipice and a future 
filled with closed schools, terminated services, and deteriorating 
roads. Within months, pink slips could again be sent to teachers and to 
county workers.
  Fortunately, some help for those rural communities is now on the way. 
The energy package contains an extension of the Secure Rural Schools 
Program that I authored in 2000. This proposal closely mirrors the 
legislative proposal that was crafted with Senators Baucus, Bingaman, 
Reid, and myself, a proposal that passed overwhelmingly in this body by 
a 74-to-23 vote as an amendment that I offered to the war emergency 
supplemental spending bill last spring.
  Specifically, the new energy package provides 4 more years of funding 
for the Secure Rural Schools Program, commonly known as the County 
Payments Program. A year of full funding for the payment in lieu of 
taxes program has also been included. By providing funds through 2011, 
this deal gets our rural counties off the fiscal roller coaster and 
back to stable funding so they can get at the real work of planning for 
the future. Today's announcement would mean $1.8 billion in critical 
funding for school and road programs across America.
  In our home State of Oregon, particularly when folks are suffering 
because of the bad weather, it would mean hundreds of millions of 
dollars for schools and public safety, roads, and other essential 
county services. This program has been a successful one. It has been 
built around collaboration among counties, environmentalists, timber 
interests, and others, and the funds are absolutely critical to our 
rural communities.
  The legislation that has been agreed to today, the Energy bill, is 
very important to our country's future. But equally important is the 
legislation known as the County Payments Program for rural communities.
  I am grateful to my colleague, Senator Murray, and Senator Menendez, 
who have been waiting patiently for the chance to make this 
announcement, and it is my hope that with the unflagging support of 
rural folks from across the country that this much-needed energy 
legislation will move forward and the country can look to a brighter 
future for rural communities.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.

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