A bill that included a reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools program, which aims to provide federal money to timber-rich counties, passed the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday morning.
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, which prevents cuts to doctors’ salaries and extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program for two years, included Secure Rural Schools’ two-year reauthorization as an attachment.
The vote was 392-37, passing overwhelmingly.
Now the bill moves onto the Senate.
In a bipartisan show of support, every representative from Washington state who voted on the bill voiced their support. The only person to not vote on the bill was Rep. Adam Smith, representing Washington’s 9th Congressional District.
In a news release, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who spoke earlier this week to The Chronicle and expressed an urgency for the bill to pass, reiterated her stance that she would like to see the reauthorization on a permanent basis.
“It’s my strong hope that the U.S. Senate follows our lead and quickly advances this Secure Rural Schools extension,” Herrera Beutler said. “I recognize that a two-year solution is like throwing a life preserver to our rural counties. It is absolutely necessary to keep them afloat, but at some point very soon we need to get them back on solid footing with a return to responsible forest management. I’ll continue to work for a long-term solution for rural Southwest Washington communities that have had their livelihoods put on hold by failed forest policies.”
Herrera Beutler was among a group of congressional leaders pushing for management reforms such as the elimination of cancellation liability accounts for stewardship contracts, a requirement that half of Title II funds be used on timber sales and a requirement for a bond for lawsuits that challenge restoration projects.
However, the bill as passed did not include those reforms.
