On June 18, 2025, the Senate approved the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization (SRS) Act (S. 356). This bipartisan measure, reintroduced earlier this year by Senators Crapo (R-ID), Wyden (D-OR), Risch (R-ID), and Merkley (D-OR), would reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools program through 2026.
Focus is now on the U.S. House of Representatives where SRS reauthorization has stalled. To help ensure the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, House members need to hear from local leaders about SRS’s importance for rural communities.
RCRC requests that counties reach out to House leadership to urge passage of SRS reauthorization legislation as soon as possible. A template letter is available here.
The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act, also known as Secure Rural Schools or SRS, was passed in 2000 to provide financial stability for counties with large acreages of USDA Forest Service (USFS) land. SRS represents Congress’s acknowledgement that county revenues from timber harvest, grazing and special use permits no longer provide a sufficient substitute for the lost tax base from public lands, and the commitment to provide payments for rural schools, roads, and forest management projects on USFS lands.
SRS has disbursed more than $7 billion in payments to more than 700 counties across 40 states and territories since its inception, including most recently in April 2023. The authorization for this program lapsed in September 2023, with diminished payments distributed to counties in April of 2025 due to the missed deadline.
RCRC continues to vigorously advocate for SRS passage on behalf of our member counties. Special thanks to ACG, RCRC’s federal lobbying firm. For additional information, contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate Staci Heaton.