Rural Schools Initiative Passes

U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi (AZ-01) announced that a 1-year extension for the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act will be included in the emergency supplemental bill that is expected to be considered by the House of Representatives in the coming weeks. The extension, which passed in the House Appropriations Committee, will provide financial assistance to build schools, roads, & other county services in rural Arizona.

"I am pleased that our efforts to include an extension for the Secure Rural Schools Initiative in the emergency supplemental bill proved successful, ensuring that rural Arizona schools & roads may continue to receive financial assistance for the next year," said Congressman Renzi. "While this is an important victory for rural communities around the country, it is only a temporary fix, & we must continue to apply pressure on Democratic leaders to reauthorize the bill for a full 7 years. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a longer-term solution for rural Arizona's children & families."

Both 1908 & 1937 laws specifying that the federal government share 25% of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) receipts & 50% of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) receipts with counties in any state that hosts Federal land from which timber is cut. These payments had been used to help finance rural schools & roads. Toward the mid-to-late-nineties, however, the principal source of those revenues, federal timber sales, declined by over 70% nationwide. Consequently, the corresponding revenues shared with rural counties throughout the country declined precipitously, hurting school & transportation funding.

In 2000, legislation called the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act was passed to remedy this imbalance, establishing a 6-year payment formula for counties that receive revenue-sharing payments for USFS & BLM lands. The formula established a stable source of revenue, to be used for education, roads & county services in rural areas. The safety net amount was based on historical timber receipts.

The 2000 legislation expired at the end of 2006. The temporary fix would continue to fund the payment formula for an additional year.