Jan 17, 2025 Advocacy | Forest and Public Lands Stewardship
On January 16th, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-03) sent a letterurging House Leadership to immediately prioritize a three-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. The SRS program provides vital funding to address school and infrastructure needs in rural communities that are highly impacted by federal lands and historically relied on timber revenue from those lands.
Last Spring, the final authorized SRS payment was made. Reauthorization was introduced in both chambers of Congress in late July 2023 but was not passed in the 118th Congress. The House bill (H.R. 5030) went nowhere after being referred to committee in the fall of 2023, despite having more than six dozen co-sponsors by the end of 2024. The Senate bill (S. 2581) provided a glimmer of hope when it passed by unanimously in mid-November and was sent to the House for action, along with a letter signed by over 50 bipartisan colleagues. Unfortunately, the House failed to act on that measure as well. Similarly, an amendment to reauthorize the program in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act secured 36 bipartisan cosponsors, yet was not included in the final spending package.
According to the Forest Service, reauthorization needs to be completed by no later than the end of January in order for the program to stay on schedule. Rural schools across the nation face severe challenges, even with the SRS funding. Without it, many fear detrimental cuts are on the horizon.
RCRC continues to advocate vigorously for reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools program on behalf of California’s rural counites. For more information, contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate, Staci Heaton.
