[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2515]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 REAUTHORIZE SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY SELF-DETERMINATION 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 the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination 
Act is a breach of faith to more than 600 forested counties and 4,400 
school districts across America.
  Mr. Speaker, 78 percent of the land in Deschutes County, Oregon, is 
controlled by the Federal Government. It is a recreational and outdoor 
paradise. Funds from this program have supported public safety, 
emergency medical, search and rescue operations, and much more to 
protect the more than 2 million people who come to central Oregon to 
recreate every year.
  County Sheriff Les Stiles says, ``Search and rescue is a matter of 
life and death in central Oregon, and supporting these programs is 
essential given the surge in outdoor recreation.''
  Our school kids are hurt, too, because this program has not been 
reauthorized yet. At the Bend-LaPine School District, administrators 
face the task of bigger class sizes or fewer teachers as they struggle 
to meet State and Federal mandates. School Superintendent Doug Nelson 
says, ``These funds help us ensure programs which don't leave kids 
behind.''
  Mr. Speaker, Congress must keep the Federal Government's word to 
timber communities. Pass H.R. 17. Time is running out.

                          ____________________