Washington, D.C. - The House of Representatives passed the fiscal year 2019 Interior and Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill by a vote of 217-199. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson authored several of the provisions in the bill that directly benefit Idaho. This legislation also continues many important provisions from the 2018 Omnibus, such as rolling back onerous rules and regulations, providing funding for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program (PILT), and fully funding wildfire suppression to ensure western states have the resources to battle catastrophic wildfires.

“Land managers have a duty to be good neighbors to Idahoans,” said Simpson. “That is why Congress needs to adequately fund these agencies to ensure that they have the resources to carry out their missions. The legislation passed by the House does that by funding PILT, wildfire prevention and suppression programs, and providing a check on the executive branch from past rules and regulations that have been a burden to communities across Idaho.”

The bill will now move to the Senate for further consideration. To read about more Idaho provisions in the bill visit: https://simpson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398651

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