Coalition Pushes for Reauthorization of Timber Funds Program

A bipartisan Senate coalition is calling for the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act, which provides timber revenue for rural schools and communities located near national forest land.

More than 30 lawmakers sent a letter to Senate leaders in late April encouraging the reauthorization of the program, according to Montana's Flathead Beacon. In the letter, lawmakers called the program a "critical safety-net" for communities near federally-owned forests because those communities are unable to tax that land. Money from the timber program is used to support many community services, including schools, transportation infrastructure, and local law enforcement agencies.