Renzi Votes for Secure Rural Schools Initiative

Press Release

Renzi Votes for Secure Rural Schools Initiative

U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi (AZ-01) voted for passage of H.R. 2207, the Agricultural Disaster Assistance and Western States Emergency Unfinished Business Appropriations Act of 2007, which included an extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act.

This one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools and Self-Determination Act will provide $425 million to build schools, roads, and other county services in rural areas, including rural Arizona. Congressman Renzi was one of only 12 republicans that voted against a legislative proposal that would have cut this important rural funding.

"I am pleased that this crucial funding for rural America was passed. It is necessary to ensure that rural Arizona schools and roads 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, and we must continue to apply pressure on Democratic leaders to reauthorize the bill for a full seven 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 and families."

Laws passed by Congress in both 1908 and 1937 specify that the federal government share 25 percent of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) receipts and 50 percent 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 and roads. Toward the mid-to-late-nineties, however, the principal source of those revenues, federal timber sales, declined by over 70 percent nationwide. Consequently, the corresponding revenues shared with rural counties throughout the country declined precipitously, hurting school and transportation funding.

In 2000, legislation called the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act was passed to remedy this imbalance, establishing a six-year payment formula for counties that receive revenue-sharing payments for USFS and BLM lands. The formula established a stable source of revenue, to be used for education, roads and 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 will continue to fund the payment formula for an additional year.

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