Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3706. Under longtime Federal law, counties located within the National Forest System have received a share of revenues generated through the sale of timber harvested from those Federal lands. This revenue has been critical for forested counties to support schools, roads, law enforcement, search-and-rescue operations, and other local activities that benefit both our forests and rural communities. However, with the sharp decline in timber harvesting across the National Forest System since the early 1990s, rural counties have seen revenues for schools and other important local services plummet as a result. To offset this lost revenue, Congress created the Secure Rural Schools program in 2000 to provide additional funding to participating counties based on their average historical timber payments. In my own district in north Florida, Putnam County and Marion County have received a combined total of more than $624,000 through the Secure Rural Schools program, thanks to the sale of timber harvested out of the Ocala National Forest. {time} 1515 In rural counties like Putnam, this funding provides support for the county's schools, roads, and other critical services. It is no different in Marion County. The recent infrastructure bill, signed into law this past November, reauthorized the Secure Rural Schools for the next 3 years.…”