Secure Rural Schools Payments to Counties
Current understanding
The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program provides federal payments to states and counties containing National Forest System and certain other federal lands to support schools, roads, and forest-related projects, compensating for reduced timber receipts and the non-taxable status of federal land. Payments flow through county governments and Resource Advisory Committees (RACs) that authorize local project spending. The Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025 (enacted) extends payments through FY2026 and county/RAC project authority through FY2028; effects on farmers and consumers are indirect, primarily supporting rural county fiscal capacity in forested regions.
Evidence log
- 2026-01-13 — To extend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.: cross-connection with secure-rural-schools-act: HR6535’s extension of SRS payments through FY2026 links the authorizing statute page with the county payments implementation page, since the payment schedule and formula depend on the underlying Act’s reauthorization. (novelty: 2)
- 2025-01-21 — Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Act: cross-connection with wildfire-resilience-community-grants: Both channel federal support to forested rural communities; wildfire resilience grants would layer onto counties that also depend on SRS payments tied to national forest lands. (novelty: 2)