The House voted Tuesday to approve the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act, which funds a lapsed program that sends money to communities surrounded by federal land to make up for lost timber revenue.
These counties can’t levy property taxes on federally owned land, so the funding helps make up for the gaps in funding they face relative to similarly situated municipalities.
Congress let the program, which was first established in 2000, expire. The counties received their last payments in early 2024, forcing many of the counties dependent on the program to shrink their budgets.
Getting more funds approved has been a top priority for Western state lawmakers from both parties whose constituents use the money to help pay for schools, roads, law enforcement and other services.
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The Senate in June reauthorized the Secure Rural Schools Act, so it will now head to the president’s desk.
Tuesday’s vote included a provision that would provide retroactive payments to cover the period of time since funding lapsed.
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers had pushed for the House to take up the bill before the end of the year.
Sen. Mike Crapo, one of the lead authors of the original bill, has been among those pushing for the House to reauthorize the program since it lapsed. He lauded Tuesday’s passage, but said in a statement that he hopes there will be a more permanent revenue fix for counties that used to rely on revenue from timber harvests.
“The SRS program is vital to maintaining schools, roads and emergency response services in rural, forested counties,” Crapo said. “We have a responsibility to these communities who house large swaths of untaxable federal land.”
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