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LaMalfa Supports Defense and Border Security in Funding Package

May 3, 2017
(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 244, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017, which passed the House today by a margin of 309-118. The appropriations bill allocates $1.16 trillion to fund for the federal government until September of 2017.
LaMalfa said: "There are parts of this bill that are strong positives for the North State and America, while others that I grudgingly have to accept as the price of getting sixty votes in the Senate. This funding bill achieves significant goals of investing in our military and enhancing border security, while also providing for our rural district by including $465 million in payment to offset the vast ownership of our local lands by the federal government that is eroding our local tax base, as well as significant increases in funds for firefighting. This is ultimately an improvement over the past process of using a Continuing Resolution that simply kicked the can further down the road."
Wins for the North State:
Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT):
  • Directs key federal payments to rural counties of $465 million to offset reductions in property taxes caused by the large amounts of local lands that are owned by the federal government.
Forest Management:
  • Increases fuel reduction funding to reduce wildfire risks to $570 million, $25 million more than last year.
  • Directs $368 million toward timber management, improving forest health and creating jobs in rural communities.
  • Protects forest management funds by approving $407 million in emergency funds for firefighting.
Clean Water Act Reform:
  • Includes Rep. LaMalfa's language defunding creative legal interpretations used to penalize farmers for activities like plowing fields and harvesting crops.
  • Rolls back Obama administration attempts to regulate man-made irrigation ditches and ponds.
  • Funds President Trump's executive order rewriting the Obama administration Waters of the US regulation.
Federal Land Acquisition:
  • Cuts Land and Water Conservation Fund used for federal land purchases by $50 million.
Energy:
  • Defines biomass energy as carbon-neutral, removing regulatory hurdles from biomass development.
Defense:
  • $15 billion defense spending increase.
  • Rejects a decrease in troop levels; increases by 1,000 active-duty Army, 1,000 active-duty Marines, 1,000 Army National Guard, and 1,000 Army Reserve.
Border Security:
  • Provides $1.5 billion in funding for border security, which will implement new technology and repair existing infrastructure.
Health:
  • Allocates $100 billion to combat opioid abuse.
  • Includes no direct funding for Planned Parenthood.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
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