[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2127]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          SCHOOLS, COUNTIES SUFFER WHILE CONGRESS FAILS TO ACT

  (Mr. WALDEN of Oregon asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, the failure of Congress to 
reauthorize and fund the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-
Determination Act amounts to a breach of faith to more than 600 
forested counties across America.
  For rural Lake County, Oregon, no stranger to economic challenges, 
this means 93 percent of the county's road budget has vanished. With 
709 miles of road to maintain during rugged winters, basic maintenance 
and sure passage for school buses and emergency vehicles will be 
crippled.
  County Commissioner Brad Winters says, ``Without these dollars, the 
destruction of our roads through lack of repair will be inevitable and 
we will be back to dirt.''
  Failure to reauthorize delivers a blow to our schools, too. School 
District Superintendent Judy Graham put it this way: ``Our past 
challenges have made it difficult to offer even limited services. 
Losing county payments funding will devastate the environment our 
children rely upon to learn and grow.''
  My colleagues, Congress must pass H.R. 17 and keep the Federal 
Government's promise to timbered communities. Time is running out.

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