Merkley: Passage of County Payments Bill "A Great Day for Oregon"

Senate candidate Jeff Merkley today applauded Senate passage of legislation to resume county payments. The payments had been stopped when the law authorizing them was allowed to expire by the Bush Administration. Counties across Oregon face severe budget cuts if the law is not put back into place.

Merkley met with the Senate leaders that arranged the deal earlier this year. Following passage today, Merkley issued the following statement:

"This is a great day for Oregon schools, libraries and first responders. Thanks to the tremendous leadership of Ron Wyden, Harry Reid, Max Baucus and Jeff Bingaman the federal government will soon begin honoring the commitment made on county timber payments.

"I met with these Senators in March to tell them how important this program is for rural communities across the state. I told them that we in Oregon expect the federal government to honor the deal that it made with our citizens. After our meeting I had confidence that Senate leaders understood the need to reauthorize this program as soon as possible.

"During my '100 Town Tour for Change' tour, I have visited so many communities that depend on these payments for survival. I'm very pleased today that this bill has cleared the Senate. I applaud Congressman DeFazio for his tireless advocacy in the House on this issue as well.

"While it's unfortunate that the Bush Administration and their Republican allies allowed the county payments law to lapse, Ron Wyden, Harry Reid, Max Baucus and Jeff Bingaman did not stop fighting for Oregon and have now ensured that our rural counties will not be left behind."

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Posted September 23, 2008
Press