Hal Rogers: “I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise to support this 5th of the 12 bills to be considered on the…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise to support this 5th of the 12 bills to be considered on the floor. This morning, the committee marked up the 11th of the 12 bills, and, tomorrow, the Committee on Appropriations will mark up the 12th bill so that those bills are ready for floor action. We would have been well on the way to completing all of these bills on the floor but for the abbreviated legislative year in which we have found ourselves because of the conventions and other legislation. This bill provides nearly $32.1 billion for agencies that are charged with managing and protecting our natural resources and our Federal lands as well as Native American programs and other independent agencies. Within this total, $3.9 billion is dedicated to fighting devastating wildfires--fully funding the 10-year average and increasing funding for programs that help prevent fires from happening in the first place. The bill increases funding for our commitments to American Indians and Alaska Natives, addressing public safety, health, and education, among other important services. For rural communities that have nontaxable Federal lands and, as a result, face huge budget shortfalls that would hurt local government functions, the bill provides full funding for the payments in lieu of taxes program.…”