Daines Announces Full SRS Funding for Montanas Rural Counties

Press Release

Representative Steve Daines today announced that after months of uncertainty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will distribute the FY 2013 Secure Rural School (SRS) payments to Montana's rural counties in full.

"After months of uncertainty, I am glad that the federal government is upholding its commitment to Montana's rural counties and fully distributing the Secure Rural Schools payments that these counties deserve," Daines stated. "Montana's rural communities rely on the Secure Rural Schools program as a critical source of funding for our schools, law enforcement and emergency services, and it's unacceptable that the Administration's political motivations resulted in counties not knowing if they'd be able to fund these essential services. While I remain deeply frustrated that Montana's rural counties were placed in this position in the first place, I'm pleased that the Forest Service is finally providing our rural counties with long-overdue answers about these funds."

Last year, after distributing Title I and III SRS payments, the Forest Service announced on March 19 that it would apply sequestration to the SRS program and distributed letters to states requesting the return of $17.9 million in funds that had already been paid out. In August, Montana was informed that $1.3 million from its anticipated Title II payment would be withheld to cover the Forest Service's decision to apply sequestration retroactively.

Earlier this year, during a Natural Resources Committee Oversight hearing on the Obama administration's application of sequestration to the SRS program and its cost to states and rural counties, Daines pressed the United States Forest Service to fully distribute funds owed to Montana's rural counties.

"The cuts were frustrating. But our counties were most concerned about the uncertainty," Daines noted during January's hearing. "Our county commissioners work hard trying to put certainty in what is a rather uncertain equation coming out of Washington, as these sequester cuts are being implemented. Frankly, our county commissioners and leaders were flabbergasted when they heard sequester would be applied retroactively, and this places our county commissioners in a very difficult position as it relates to budgeting for the year."

Last year, Daines helped introduce the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act (H.R. 1526), which would create up to 6,000 new Montana jobs and extends the SRS program for another year.

While H.R. 1526 was passed by the House last year with bipartisan support, it awaits action in the U.S. Senate.

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