Nine Boebert Legislative Wins for Colorado Signed into Law

Statement

Congresswoman Boebert said, "I promised to provide a voice for the people and to fight tirelessly for our communities. Many of these important victories signed into law for Colorado and the Third District were ideas put forth by local stakeholders. Without selling my soul and my votes through the corrupt earmark process, we were able to get lots of great things done and into federal statute through the normal appropriations process. In short, these legislative victories will improve the lives of rural Americans and put America first."

Background:
Nine of Congresswoman Lauren Boebert's legislative priorities for Colorado were signed into law, including: $1.74 billion for Community Health Centers to serve rural communities; $515 million for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program so counties can fund education, law enforcement, and infrastructure; $48 million for the U.S. Forest Service to address the bark beetle infestations ravaging Colorado and to actively manage our forests; $10 million for the Indian Irrigation Fund for the benefit of the Southern Ute Tribe; $1 million to compensate farmers for livestock lost to wolves; important pro-life protections like the Hyde and Weldon amendments; preventing the greater sage-grouse from being listed as an endangered species; important federal resources for NASA and Colorado's space program; and exempting livestock haulers from burdensome Department of Transportation electronic logging device mandates.

Specifically, Congresswoman Boebert's legislative victories signed into law include:

Securing $1.74 billion for Community Health Centers that provide medical care to rural communities. Community Health Centers save the health care system $24 billion annually since they cost less than one-sixth of an average visit to an emergency room. In Colorado's Third Congressional District, there are eight Community Health Centers, and Rep. Boebert's legislative effort will help provide better access to quality medical care, provide more jobs, and strengthen rural communities.

Securing $48 million for the U.S. Forest Service to actively manage our forests and address high-priority invasive species and pests like the bark beetle infestations ravaging Colorado and creating deadly wildfire hazards. Bark beetle-killed trees are deadly kindling for wildfires, and bark beetles have taken over 1.8 million acres of forest in Colorado since 2000. As the bark beetle epidemic continues to grow, Colorado experienced the largest wildfires in state history in 2020. This victory will help put the Forest Service on the right path to preventing wildfires and responsibly managing our forests.

Securing $10 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Indian Irrigation Fund to address the deferred maintenance backlog and increase water storage at projects like the Pine River Indian Irrigation Project that provides irrigation to the Southern Ute Indians.

Securing a legislative rider to prohibit funding for any efforts to list the greater sage-grouse as an endangered species. If the non-endangered greater sage-grouse is listed, 173 million acres of land could be locked up to shut down energy production, critical mineral production, grazing rights, and other multiple-use activities.

Securing $1 million for the Wolf Livestock Loss Demonstration Program to compensate farmers and ranchers whose livestock are killed by wolves reintroduced by federal programs.

Securing a win for farmers and ranchers by securing a legislative rider that delays the implementation of Electronic Logging Devices for livestock haulers for one year as the industry awaits a determination from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on the hours of service for livestock haulers. Each day, nearly 500,000 cattle and 600,000 pigs are transported throughout the United States. Federal bureaucracy shouldn't be meddling in the complexities of livestock hauling, since it is difficult to load and unload livestock at rest areas. Until workable hours of service rules are established, livestock haulers shouldn't suffer from burdensome bureaucracy.

Securing $515 million for the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. Over 90% of federal lands are in the Western United States and more than 55% of Colorado's Third Congressional District is federal land. All 29 counties that comprise Colorado's Third Congressional District benefit from the PILT program. PILT payments are critical for county governments to make up for lost revenue due to the large presence of tax-free federal land in their jurisdictions. This victory will help rural counties fund law enforcement, firefighters, schools, infrastructure, wildfire prevention efforts, and other important local priorities.
Securing important pro-life protections including the Hyde and Weldon amendments. The Biden regime and extreme leftists tried to remove important pro-life language and riders in this year's appropriations bills. The Hyde Amendment prevents the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. The Weldon Amendment prevents funds from going to federal agencies that discriminate against pro-life hospitals, pro-life health insurance policies, and other pro-life organizations. Both of these pro-life amendments were retained and signed into law in the final bill.

Securing important federal resources for NASA and Colorado's space program including $2.6 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Launch System (SLS), $1.4 billion for the Orion Multi‐Purpose Crew Vehicle, and $590 million for Exploration Ground Systems. Colorado is home to the nation's second-largest aerospace economy that supports more than 232,000 jobs.

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