Approximately $3.5 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support public schools, roads and other local services in rural Nevada through the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto announced Friday.
The program will help provide economic support to rural communities.
“I’m proud to announce that funding I secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support Nevada’s rural communities,” Cortez Masto said. “I’ll continue working to ensure we’re providing our rural communities with the tools they need to grow and thrive.”
The SRS program provides assistance to rural counties impacted by the decline in revenue from land use activities on federal lands. The program also reimburses rural counties for emergency services on national forests, and it funds programs to protect our communities from wildfires.
Nevada’s senior Democratic senator ensured the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law reauthorized funding for the SRS program for fiscal years 2021 through 2023 to assist rural communities. The reauthorization also included the senator’s bipartisan Connected Rural Schools Act, which will allow rural counties to use Secure Rural Schools funds to improve internet access at local schools.
The senator has introduced bipartisan legislation to put rural Western communities on an equal footing when it comes to applying for critical infrastructure grants to improve school buildings, promote small businesses and bolster telehealth and health care services.
Cortez Masto has also introduced comprehensive legislation to help improve wildfire prevention efforts, fund state-of-the-art firefighting equipment and programs and support recovery efforts for communities impacted by fires. She has worked to improve broadband access in rural Nevada and throughout the state.
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