A bipartisan bill to reauthorize the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program (SRS) through 2026 introduced by U.S. Senators Mike Crapo of Idaho and Ron Wyden of Oregon has been unanimously approved by the Senate.
U.S. Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Joe Neguse of Colorado and Oregon’s Val Hoyle have introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Secure Rural Schools was enacted in 2000 to financially assist counties with public, tax-exempt forestlands. The U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management administer the funds. The totals are based on a formula including economic activity, timber harvest levels and other considerations that vary from county to county. SRS payments are critical to maintain education programs for many rural counties that contain federal lands exempt from property taxes.
