Last week, the Congress passed and sent to the President H.R. 3979, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, and H.R. 83, the FY 2015 omnibus spending bill. While the primary purpose of NDAA is to set national defense policy, the measure included a federal lands package which provides a $70 million appropriation for the Federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. Additionally, the Congress included $372 million for Federal PILT in H.R. 83 as part of the Interior Appropriations Bill, bringing total PILT funding to $442 million – just under historic Federal PILT funding levels.
Unfortunately, efforts to fund the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act (SRS) proved unsuccessful in the final days of the 113th Congress. SRS was not reauthorized in the closing days of the 113th Congress, and thus FY 2014 SRS payments remain in doubt. However, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has been quoted in national media outlets pledging to reform federal forestry policy in the first 90 days of the 114th Congress, and that discussion will likely include some aspect of SRS reauthorization. The key will be how a GOP-led U.S. Senate receives forest reform efforts from the House. In addition, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) provided assurances on the House Floor last week that “enacting an extension to the Secure Rural Schools program is going to be an early priority for next year,” although further information regarding how SRS would be funded and whether forestry reform would be considered as part of the SRS funding strategy was not discussed.
As presented at the recent RCRC Board Meeting, in the coming weeks we will be encouraging counties that are impacted by SRS to adopt resolutions in support of reauthorization. Included in this communication will be additional details on RCRC’s comprehensive media and advocacy outreach strategy for SRS and a long-term reauthorization of Federal PILT.