House Budget Contemplates Secure Rural Schools and Community Selft-Determination Re-authorization
House Budget Contemplates Secure Rural Schools and Community Selft-Determination Re-authorization
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, a member of the House Budget Committee, announced today that the Committee's FY 2007 Budget Resolution would accommodate re-authorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act. The Budget language would NOT offset the costs of the program by requiring sales of federal lands as had been recommended by President Bush in his FY2007 budget submission to Congress.
"My primary goal in this effort was to keep funding for the rural schools program in play while sending a message that federal lands sales are an unacceptable offset. We were successful in achieving both goals with this language," said Simpson.
Simpson worked closely with Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IA) to add language to the Budget Resolution that would fund a re-authorized Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act through as-yet-undetermined offsets within the entire federal budget. "Selling federal lands to pay for specific programs is a bad idea and I'm grateful it's not included in the House version of the Budget," said Simpson. "I appreciate Chairman Nussle's willingness to find an appropriate way to facilitate the continuation of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act."
Simpson's language still requires the appropriate House and Senate committees of jurisdiction to complete action on the overall re-authorization of the program and find offsets for the program's costs. "It's important to keep in mind that while this language is an important step in the Budget process, it is only a placeholder for the program," Simpson said. "The House and Senate still have a lot of work to do in re-authorizing the program and finding appropriate offsets within the entire federal budget."
The Budget Resolution is expected to be considered by the full House as early as next week.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/id02_simpson/budget_ruralschools.html