Political Quotes

“I rise today in support of S. 455, a bill to increase the amount of funding for the Payments In Lieu of Texas [PILT] Program. As a cosponsor of this important piece of legislation, I realize that we are requesting for an increase over the fiscal year 1995 budget request. This is necessary to recoup the loses to local governments from inflation. The PILT Program has not been seen an increase in authorized funding levels since 1976. This bill will allow for yearly inflation adjustment. I represent a State which has 87 percent of its land, some 72 million acres, controlled by the Federal Government. All of the 17 counties in the State of Nevada, are mostly Federal land. With all of the mandates placed upon them by this Congress--from sewage treatment to safe drinking water, the PILT Program has assisted these communities in meeting the terms of compliance of these laws. What we need to understand is that when PILT was enacted in 1976, it was an expansion of a notion of government partnership between the Federal Government and States and local governments that has existed since 1906. The Federal Government has accepted the obligation to share with county governments a percentage of the revenues it derives from commodity uses of public lands.”