Idaho Sen. Crapo-backed SRS, PILT bills head to full Senate

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The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has passed measures to provide much-needed financial certainty for rural counties in Idaho and elsewhere to ensure they have the long-term funding needed for schools, road maintenance, law enforcement, and other essential services.

The bills, to next be taken up by the full Senate, include funding for both the Payments in Lieu of Taxes program, and the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act. PILT is used to make up for the lack of property taxes counties can get from federal land, while SRS largely provides for areas with shrinking timber industries on nearby federal lands.

Funding for both programs has lapsed, and lawmakers are trying to re-fund the programs, while also funding them for longer periods of time.

Earlier this year, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo joined a bipartisan group of Northwest Senators in reintroducing legislation to make the Secure Rural Schools program permanent by creating an endowment fund to provide stable, increasing, and reliable funding for county services. Those services have historically been funded in part with a 25 percent share of timber receipts from federal U.S. Forest Service lands. As those revenues have fallen or fluctuated due to reduced timber harvest and market forces, SRS payments helped bridge the funding gap.

Since enacted in 2000, SRS has provided a total of $7 billion in payments to more than 700 counties and 4,400 school districts in more than 40 states. In recent years, however, Congress has allowed SRS funding to lapse and decrease, creating financial uncertainty for counties.  (Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo)

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