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Secure Rural Schools
Please be assured that I am doing everything I can to help reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Secure Rural Schools).

As you may be aware, Secure Rural Schools is designed to stabilize National Forest payments to county schools and road departments, which have fallen dramatically in recent years as federal forest management projects declined. Under the law, counties in our area with federal forestland within their boundaries received approximately $25 million annually for public schools, road maintenance, and wildfire protection and forest restoration projects. Siskiyou, Trinity, Shasta, Tehama, Butte, Glenn, Colusa, and Yuba Counties have all substantially benefited from this program.

Secure Rural Schools was conceived as a temporary solution to problems associated with declining forest receipts. Current forest conditions are over-crowded and susceptible to unnatural mega-fires and devastating disease and insect infestation. I fear that many communities and watersheds throughout our area are at grave risk as a result. Actively managing the forest will protect these areas, improve the regional economy, and return crucial schools and roads funding to our area.

I was privileged to be an original sponsor of the Secure Rural Schools program. And I will continue to lend my strong support for this important initiative as Congress considers its reauthorization. But I should point out that we certainly will have our work cut out for us. Today's difficult budget environment requires "mandatory" spending, like that which occurs through Secure Rural Schools, to be offset, dollar-for-dollar, by reductions in other spending programs or by increasing taxes. This dynamic will make extending Secure Rural Schools a challenge for those of us who support or benefit from the legislation.

Nonetheless, you can count on me to continue to advocate strongly for Secure Rural Schools. Recently I joined a bipartisan group of western lawmakers on the floor of the House to advocate for the renewal of this program. I've included the text of my remarks for your review.