Huffman Votes Against Irresponsible Logging Bill

WASHINGTON­—Congressman Jared Huffman voted against the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act (H.R. 1526), which would irresponsibly politicize the Secure Rural Schools program by linking it to sweeping rollbacks of environmental protections and mandatory timber harvest quotas on all US Forest Service lands.

“We need to extend the Secure Rural Schools program and support jobs and schools in rural communities like the North Coast, but by loading this bill with extreme and unworkable provisions, Republican leaders in the House squandered a bipartisan opportunity to improve and extend the program,” Congressman Huffman said. “The GOP majority denied a floor vote on my alternative amendment that would have extended Secure Rural Schools and focused on bipartisan fuel reduction and forest health strategies – in fact, not a single Democratic amendment was allowed. Enough partisan politics. Hopefully the Senate will pass a bipartisan bill to extend the Secure Rural Schools program, and I will be working with them in that fight.”

Congressman Huffman offered an amendment to H.R. 1526 in committee which would have replaced many of the controversial provisions of the bill with bipartisan policy recommendations already under consideration in the Senate.

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