Jon Tester: “I would like to talk about one other thing that is missing from the bill, and that is a reauthorization of the Secure…”

“I would like to talk about one other thing that is missing from the bill, and that is a reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Program and the Payment-in-Lieu of Taxes Program, otherwise know as PILT. These two programs will do more to ensure that thousands of teachers stay on the job than anything else we can do around here. Here is the kicker: In the middle of this partisan debate, Secure Rural Schools and PILT are bipartisan programs. Under the leadership of Senators Bingaman, Murkowski, Baucus, Crapo, Wyden, and Risch, we have a bill that can pass right now--today. It would keep 4,000 teachers on the job at a cost of $3.5 billion over the next 5 years. That is small potatoes compared to the $35 billion in the bill that is before us today. It is a very reasonable bill. But because it is so reasonable, nobody wants to see it appear in the middle of such a partisan debate. Once again, too many folks in Washington are looking for ways to point fingers. Quite frankly, I don't have as many fingers as most folks around here, so I would rather use mine to solve some problems. Only after this final bill is amended to guarantee job certainty will it be able to earn my vote. In order to amend it, I am going to vote for the motion to proceed. My vote is a vote for a debate we ought to have. It is an important one, so we can truly create jobs and focus on rebuilding our economy. I look forward to that debate. With that, I yield to my friend from West Virginia.…”