Doolittle Offers Amendment to Provide Funding for Rural Schools
Representative John T. Doolittle (R-Roseville) proposed an amendment today to the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill that would have fully funded the Secure Rural Schools program for Fiscal Year 2008. This funding is issued to counties to compensate for the land the federal government took when creating the National Forest System, and is used to fund schools, roads, and other public services. Unfortunately, the amendment was defeated on a procedural motion, which prevented an up or down vote from occurring.
"I am disappointed that House Democrats used procedural tactics to prevent a vote on my amendment to provide desperately needed funds to rural counties in a timely manner," Doolittle stated. "The appropriations bill spends billions of taxpayer dollars without fulfilling a promise our government made to provide essential services to many of its citizens."
While the amendment did not reach a vote, Doolittle was able to secure a commitment from House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) and Ranking Member Jerry Lewis (R-CA) to contact the appropriate authorizing committees and urge them to provide a long-term reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools program, which would ensure payments to counties would continue for several years. The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, the legislation which authorized these payments, expired in September 2006. Doolittle was successful in securing a one-year extension provided for 2007 in an emergency appropriations bill passed by Congress in May. However, debate over whether to provide funding for our troops in Iraq caused these funds to arrive well in to the current fiscal year, in many cases after layoff notices had been issued to teachers and public works officials.
"Inclusion of this funding in the Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill would have given counties the security that these funds would be provided for another year. With no authorization from the federal government, county budgets are currently unable to assume this source of revenue, which has already had a negative impact on our schools. Furthermore, this amendment would have allowed these funds to be distributed in a fiscally responsible manner, which would have benefited taxpayers. I will continue to seize every opportunity until rural counties can be secure in relying on this source of revenue promised to them by the federal government," Doolittle concluded.