A one-year extension of federal subsidies for timber counties has passed the U.S. House.
Oregon counties would get about $100 million under the extension of the now expired Secure Rural Schools Program. The money was attached to a must-pass bill that would avert an impending shutdown of the federal helium reserve.
The House decision yesterday sends the measure back to the Senate, which has already backed the bill but must change their version to match the technical changes made in the House.
Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio, and Republican Representative Greg Walden applauded the vote, but both said Oregon's struggling timber counties need a longer-term solution.