| DeFazio Hails Senate Passage of County Payments Extension | | Print | |
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March 28, 2007 WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) today praised the passage of an amendment that would continue payments to counties under the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act through 2011. The amendment was added to the Senate version of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act, also known as the Emergency Supplemental bill. DeFazio was instrumental in getting a one-year extension of the payments included in the House Emergency Supplemental funding bill. "Today, the Senate finished the work we started in the House," DeFazio said. "The five-year funding extension that the Senate passed today built upon the one-year reauthorization that my colleagues and I fought so hard to get included on the House side. Thanks to Senator Reid's and Speaker Pelosi's recognition of the importance of this program to rural timber-dependent communities, counties will continue to be able to pay for essential services like law enforcement, schools, and road maintenance." |