[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 20, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H4158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 COUNTY PAYMENTS: WASCO COUNTY, OREGON

  (Mr. WALDEN of Oregon asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, by refusing to renew the Federal 
county payments program, Congress has broken its promise to rural, 
timbered America. Counties like Wasco County in Oregon are affected. It 
has laid off nine people from its road department, seven full-time, two 
part-time. That's one-third of its entire road department.
  The county has more than 700 miles of road, and not a single road 
construction project is now underway. County Commissioner Sherry 
Holliday said, ``Counties can't do any strategic planning when our 
budget is totally up in the air.'' Well, there is a solution, H.R. 
3058, a bipartisan 4-year reauthorization of county timber payments. 
It's been on the Union Calendar and ready for a vote since January 15. 
The administration has put forward a variety of offsets to pay for it, 
and yet the Democratic leadership of this House has refused to bring it 
up for a vote. That's 126 days that H.R. 3058 has been held hostage by 
the leadership of this House.
  It's time to restore the Federal Government's century-old commitment 
to rural, timbered communities where Federal lands make up so much of 
their county.
  I call on the leadership once again, free H.R. 3058, bring it up for 
a vote, keep the roads and schools open in rural America.

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