[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 24 (Thursday, February 12, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Risch, Mr. Merkley, Mr. 
        Udall, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. McCaskill, and Mr. Tester):
  S. 517. A bill to extend the secure rural schools and community self-
determination program, to restore mandatory funding status to the 
payment in lieu of taxes program, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I am proud to introduce the Secure 
Rural Schools and Payment in Lieu of Taxes Repair Act with my colleague 
Senator Crapo. The bill will ensure that counties across the nation 
will have three more years of Secure Rural Schools, SRS, payments. 
Additionally, the bill would restore mandatory funding for Payment in 
Lieu of Taxes, PILT.
  Because Congress failed to take action to reauthorize SRS before the 
end of the 113th Congress, counties across the country received SRS 
payments this week that represent a fraction of last year's payment, 
leaving counties struggling to find ways to fund schools, roads, and 
emergency services this year. Without certainty and stability, counties 
will be forced to make cuts to essential services, leaving residents 
and communities reeling. County payments are a lifeline for cash-
strapped rural communities that are already facing shortfalls to pave 
roads, keep teachers in schools and firefighters on call. This 
bipartisan bill keeps up the commitment the government made to support 
rural counties in Oregon and across the country. I am glad to once 
again partner with Senator Crapo to get this vital legislation across 
the finish line.
  Right now, this bill is not funded. It will be. Senator Crapo and I 
will work with our colleagues to find funding for these important 
programs that is satisfactory to the left and to the right.
  Funding for counties is an issue that impacts almost every State in 
the country. As Congress considers this bill, I ask my colleagues to 
talk to county leaders in their home states, visit local communities 
struggling to fund critical services, and find out how SRS and PILT 
impact their budgets, their priorities, and their quality of life. 
Rural communities deserve better than to have politics delay funding 
for SRS, so I urge my colleagues to join Senator Crapo and me in our 
efforts to reauthorize this critical program.
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