Tina Smith: “I came to the Senate yesterday to spend several hours speaking to the Senate to describe the loss of a program critical…”

“I came to the Senate yesterday to spend several hours speaking to the Senate to describe the loss of a program critical to rural counties in my State. The Secure Rural School and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 benefits more than Oregon. In fact, there are 38 other States and 700 counties nationwide that are affected. The safety net program it embodies protected 8.5 million schoolchildren, 557,000 teachers, and 18,000 schools from Washington State to California to Mississippi and West Virginia. That safety net was removed through expiration last September. Last week, I filed an amendment to the continuing resolution that would have extended the Secure Rural School and Community Self-Determination Act by 1 year. This time is needed to keep these 700 counties whole while Congress writes and enacts a longer term program. I thought it was necessary yesterday and, still, to describe fairly the severe impacts the expiration of the Secure Rural School Fund will have upon my State and upon many others.”