Providing for Consideration of H.R. 7060, Renewable Energy and Job Creation Tax Act of 2008

Floor Speech

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 7060, RENEWABLE ENERGY AND JOB CREATION TAX ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - September 25, 2008)

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Mr. SALI. Madam Speaker, continuing on the line of the previous speaker on this side, the bill that was before us last month, that did provide for secure rural schools funding, I did vote for it in committee because we were promised that it would have a different pay-for by the time it got to the floor and that PILT funding would be in at 100 percent. And I did vote against it when it got to the floor here because it didn't have a pay-for. What it had was a bunch of baloney in it.

Now, the money that's supposed to come from Big Oil, as has been referred to by the other side, there's a Supreme Court case that is a 9-0 ruling that says that that money will never, ever, ever be used in Idaho.

Madam Speaker, my district is over 62 percent federally administered land. I have counties that are over 80 percent federally administered land. Imagine what that does to the tax base for your schools. And that is the real problem that we're trying to address here.

Well, the gentleman controlling time on the other side said, well, you know, we just can't include it this time and we included it last time, a month ago in the last bill and you wouldn't support it. Madam Speaker, these are real life people we're talking about. These are school kids whose teachers get laid off because the local school district can't afford to pay them.

These are local road districts who are trying to figure out how to make roads so that when you come to Idaho to enjoy those public lands we can actually get to them. These are real people trying to deal with real problems.

Madam Speaker, if this country wants to have federally administered land in the State of Idaho, I can tell you, I understand why. It is a beautiful, beautiful State. The recreation opportunities are great. There are places in Idaho that offer world-class recreation. But when are we going to take care of the people of Idaho?

You want to blame it on a baloney pay-for that will never get money to Idaho? If we'd have voted for this and passed it last month and it had become law, you know what we would have given the people of the State of Idaho? An empty bag. They would never have gotten a penny of that money.

So how will they pay for those teachers? How will they pay for those roads that you might want to drive on to come see the beauty of the State of Idaho?

Madam Speaker, the idea that this comes down under a closed rule, that we can't even talk about it in this bill, we can't even offer another pay-for that would get real money on the ground in Idaho I think is a shame to this body.

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Mr. SALI. Madam Speaker, I'm going to urge everyone to just listen closely to what I have to say here.

There are two reasons why the pay-for doesn't work that was in the bill last month. And these are a matter of court cases, and I want to remind everybody again, the one that went to the Supreme Court was a 9-0 ruling. There are very few of those that come along.

The first reason is because the courts have said you cannot go back and change a contract that has been made. You just can't do it, except in some very, very narrow areas that were recognized by the court.

The other reason is because, in those narrow areas, you can't use that money in the State of Idaho. I don't care if you tax the oil companies to kingdom come. There is not a penny that was in that pay-for in that bill last month that would ever end up in Idaho. And that's the reason why I voted against that bill, because it would have left the State of Idaho--had we passed it, had it become law, it would have left the State of Idaho holding an empty bag.

And let me tell you something, Madam Speaker, an empty bag will not pay a teacher's salary. It will not pave a road in the State of Idaho so that you can come visit Idaho and come visit the natural beauty there, which is amazing.

Madam Speaker, this not about whether we're going to prefer Big Oil. It's not about priority. It's a matter of responsibility of the Congress of the United States. If you're going to come to my State, if you're going to come to my district and you're going to impose Federal administration on the lands that are in my district, then step up to the plate and have the responsibility so that you don't leave us holding an empty bag, so that you don't leave us without a tax base so that we can pay our teachers and pave our roads.

It is the responsibility of this Congress, and the idea that we would come here with this bill under a closed rule and shut us out is a shame on this body.

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