Political Quotes

“I appreciate my colleague and fellow chair for his leadership on the Natural Resources Committee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1450. The Good Neighbor Authority has been a vital tool to get forest management and restoration projects off the ground. This program helps the Forest Service address the wildfire and forest health crises and serves as a model for highly effective partnerships. While the 2018 farm bill expanded the Good Neighbor Authority program eligibility to counties and Tribes, the law did not authorize counties and Tribes to retain timber revenues from the Good Neighbor Authority agreement, as States do. In extending this authority to counties and Tribes, this bill will expand this important forest management tool to help reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health at a meaningful scale. I am proud to report that H.R. 1450 passed unanimously out of the Committee on Agriculture and followed suit with the unanimous vote in the Natural Resources Committee. Mr. Speaker, it is clear this legislation represents a commonsense fix to a valuable forest management program. I urge my colleagues to support the Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act and vote ``yes'' on passage.”