Ron Wyden: “twenty-two days ago I was here on the Senate floor helping to secure the support of 100 Senators in passing the Secure…”

“twenty-two days ago I was here on the Senate floor helping to secure the support of 100 Senators in passing the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. It was a good day for rural Americans when the Senate adopted S. 1608 unanimously. Today is even better for rural Americans. A few minutes ago, the Senate passed legislation that now reflects an agreement among all stakeholders--the schools, the counties, the House and Senate and the Administration--that assures House and Senate passage and the President's signature. This bill is the winning formula for everyone concerned about rural communities. The bill the Senate has passed is fundamentally unchanged from S. 1608. The basics are the same: the purposes, the funding formula, and the flexibility for counties to choose how to spend a portion of the payment. The bill will provide stable payments for education and roads in more than 750 timber-dependent counties across this country and real opportunities for environmental restoration on our national forests. The bill will make sure our rural communities do not become economic sacrifice zones.”