[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       SPEAKING AGAINST CUT IN PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF TAXES PROGRAM

  (Mr. UDALL of New Mexico asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out 
against the administration's 21 percent cut of the Payments in Lieu of 
Taxes Program.
  Many of our western States have substantial Federal land within their 
borders. On the one hand, these lands provide many opportunities for 
all Americans. But for local counties who are financially strapped, 
Federal lands mean the loss of a tax base.
  To deal with this issue fairly and so that the Federal Government is 
a good neighbor, we pay a portion of the lost tax revenue. This is 
called Payments in Lieu of Taxes. It is a good program that should be 
fully funded, although it never has been. By cutting this valuable 
program, the administration is turning its back on many western 
counties.
  I urge my colleagues to reject this unwise and unsound cutback.

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