A bipartisan group of Western senators on Monday introduced legislation to provide long-term financial security for rural counties.  The legislation introduced by Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkey, Idaho’s Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and Colorado’s Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner would reauthorize the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program for ten years.  The program provides resources to nearly 1,900 counties across 49 states.  Counties have used these payments for more than 40 years to fund law enforcement, firefighting, emergency response and other essential county services.  Earlier this year, the Oregon and Idaho senators also introduced the bipartisan Forest Management for Rural Stability Act to make the Secure Rural Schools program permanent by creating an endowment fund to provide stable funding for county services.