Rob Bishop: “This is, to be honest, a very sad day on this bill today on the floor. As an educator, I simply understand the need for…”

“This is, to be honest, a very sad day on this bill today on the floor. As an educator, I simply understand the need for secure rural schools funding. As a westerner and someone who served for a long time in the State legislature, I understand what payment in lieu of taxes, or PILT, means to western counties. Unfortunately, though, this bill that is before us today did not get here through regular order. This is not the same bill we discussed in committee nor is it the same bill that I and some others cosponsored. It appears almost as if political games are now being played in an effort to pass this particular bill, which breaks new ground. The precedent has always been, in dealing with secure rural schools and PILT, that we have dealt in a bipartisan manner in an effort to find legal and politically feasible solutions to pay for secure rural schools and payment in lieu of taxes. We have always addressed these two issues in a bipartisan manner, always, until now. H.R. 3058, this version of it, has broken that covenant.”