[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7284]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                REAUTHORIZE THE COUNTY PAYMENTS PROGRAM

  (Mr. WALDEN of Oregon asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, this Congress continues to break 
the Federal Government's promise to America's timbered counties, 
including Klamath County in southern Oregon, by not reauthorizing the 
county payments program. Klamath County usually receives upwards of $19 
million annually from county payments. The lapse of this program 
obviously has created a major budget shortfall for that rural county. 
It's been forced to deplete its operational reserves. It's cut over 10 
jobs in areas like the sheriff's office, juvenile justice, 
administration, and planning.
  If revenues fail to meet projections and with the operational 
reserves depleted, the next rounds of cuts could easily result in more 
than 25 people in the sheriff's department alone losing their jobs. 
Klamath County is known for running a tight ship so each new cut 
carries serious consequences to public services.
  Since January of this year, the Democrat majority in this House has 
sat on H.R. 3058, a bipartisan 4-year reauthorization bill for county 
payments. Nothing's happened. No vote.
  I, again, call on the Democratic leadership: Do the right thing. Keep 
the commitment to the timbered communities of this country and pass the 
reauthorization or put it in the farm bill or put it in the 
supplemental. Don't strip it out. Restore faith with rural counties all 
across America. Keep the Federal commitment to these timbered counties.

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