December 13, 2019 10:00 a.m.
Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have welcomed the passage of legislation by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that they said will authorize the Secure Rural Schools Program for two years.
A release from the senators said the program expired at the end of Fiscal Year 2018. It said the committee also passed an amendment, negotiated by Wyden, that ensures counties receive a ten percent increase in funding, efficient and timely appointments to the Secure Rural Schools Advisory Committees, and that no program funds are used for lobbying. The release said the committee also passed an amendment to allow SRS funds to support rural broadband projects.
Wyden said a two-year extension will provide resources to rural counties now and will also lay the groundwork to create a permanent solution. Wyden said that would be his bill to create an endowment fund to get rural communities “off the financial roller coaster once and for all”.
Merkley said he will now be “fighting to get this funding across the finish line and signed into law”.
The legislation is now eligible to move on to the full Senate.