Adobe Stock
U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and 18 other Senate colleagues reintroduced legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Forest Service’s Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Program through Fiscal Year 2026.
The legislation unanimously passed the Senate last Congress, but it did not receive a vote in the House of Representatives.
The SRS was originally enacted in 2000 to provide critical funding for schools, roads and other services in rural counties across the country. Cortez Masto said many rural counties in Nevada that contain large amounts of federal land while the SRS payments provide critical funding for schools and infrastructure that would otherwise be paid for by property taxes.
In 2023, Nevada counties received $4,975,394.51 in funding from the SRS program.
“Nevada’s rural communities deserve funding and support, no matter what part of the state they are in,” said Cortez Masto. “Without SRS payments, Nevada’s rural schools would lack needed resources to teach future generations and pay educators, and rural roads and public safety programs could go unfunded. Congress must act quickly to reauthorize this program before our rural communities are left hanging.”
National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase said reauthorizing the legislation will help with large tracts of federal forests to meet the needs of both residents and visitors to the states.
“Without SRS, counties would face, on average, an 80 percent drop in resources for infrastructure improvement, education programs and forest health projects,” Chase said. “Many rural counties and school districts are already making difficult decisions due to a lack of funds.”