On Thursday, by a vote of 392-37, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, commonly referred to as the “Doc Fix” (California Congressional Delegation Roll Call Vote can be accessed here). The primary purpose of the “Doc Fix” is to restructure Medicare reimbursements; however, attached to the measure were provisions which provide a two-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act (SRS). SRS provides funding to county governments and schools districts to mitigate the reduction of timber harvesting production authorized on federal forest lands. The SRS extension is estimated to provide California counties and schools nearly $27.3 million in 2014 and $25.9 million in 2015. SRS has been reauthorized multiple times since it was first enacted in 2000.
The Doc Fix is expected to be considered by the U.S. Senate when they return from their two-week Spring Recess. The Senate had been poised to debate H.R. 2 today – the last day before the Spring Recess; however, a number of Senate Republican members objected to expediting the process for the bill’s consideration. President Obama has indicated his support for the measure.
Assuming the enactment of H.R. 2 in the coming weeks, RCRC will shift our federal advocacy focus to long-term reauthorization of the federal Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. Prior to the 113th Congress adjourning last December, Congress authorized $450 million in payments to counties throughout the country under the federal PILT program for the 2015. RCRC will be advocating for a multi-year reauthorization and will request Congress to act before September 30th, the end of the federal government’s fiscal year.
In addition, RCRC will also be advocating for long-term forestry reform. It is expected that later in the year the House of Representatives will consider a comprehensive forestry reform measure that could replace SRS.
Earlier this year, RCRC initiated a multi-pronged advocacy and media strategy, which included passage of local county Resolutions urging Congress to pass long-term extensions to both the SRS and federal PILT programs. To date, 25 rural counties have adopted SRS Resolutions and 27 rural counties have adopted federal PILT Resolutions.