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Wyden, Walden press timber bill It would guarantee funds to county By Dani Dodge Two Oregon lawmakers expressed confidence that a bill guaranteeing money to timber-dependent counties will pass the Senate and be signed into law by the president. During swings through Southern Oregon last week, both Sen. Ron Wyden and Congressman Greg Walden said support is building to break the deadlock over the funding bill, which is tangled up in Senate politics over Oregon�s controversial assisted suicide law. Wyden said he�ll keep other senators from going home rather than let the session end without resolution on the bill. "It�s a top priority of mine," he said. The timber bill would guarantee federal payments to schools and counties that historically have depended on federal timber harvest payments for their budgets. The payments would be based on a three-year average of historic high payments. After passing in the House earlier this year the bill is being held up in the Senate by Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla., the assistant majority leader. Nickles blocked the timber bill in apparent retaliation for Wyden�s threat to filibuster Nickles� Pain Relief Promotion Act, which would prevent doctors from prescribing lethal doses of drugs. Nickles� legislation is designed to derail Oregon�s voter-approved physician-assisted suicide law. Unlike the House, Senate rules make it fairly easy for one member to block legislation. Jackson County Commissioner Sue Kupillas said the timber bill is critical to finances in Jackson County, where half of all property belongs to the federal government. She said passage of the bill will be the difference between a $10 million Jackson County general fund shortfall, and stable funding of $15 million a year. "It�s essential we get this bill passed," Kupillas said. Walden, R-Hood River, said the bill sailed through the House, and he�s sure it will snake it�s way through the current logjam in the Senate. "Wyden and (Oregon Sen.) Gordon Smith are working behind the scenes to make sure this happens," he said. "In the end, I think Nickles will see it was the wrong hostage to pick." Wyden pointed out that although some critics object to the bill because a small portion of the funds are tied to timber harvests, counties and schools dependent on the bill would do well even without one tree being cut. "A very small portion of this is timber receipts," Wyden said. Wyden said he�s fighting Nickles� effort to tie the timber bill to physician-assisted suicide because he thinks the Oklahoma lawmaker is doing wrong to Oregon citizens. "I�ve made it clear, I won�t accept that," Wyden said. "And Sen. Nickels is beginning to hear that a lot of people, including lots and lots of Republicans, want this bill." "I suspect it will be increasingly hard for him to block this." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA