A bill to reinstate a critical source of funding for Lewis County and other timber-rich counties throughout the nation has passed the Senate and now awaits President Barack Obama’s signature.
Reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools, which provided $2.1 million to Lewis County in 2013, was passed by the U.S. Senate 92-8 as part of a bill that provided reforms to reimbursements for doctors under the Medicare systems.
The Senate voted on the measure Tuesday, reauthorizing the program for two years.
Secure Rural Schools is a program designed to offset the loss in tax revenues in counties containing large amounts of federal forest land.
Lewis County, home to more than 444,000 acres of federal land — much of which is the Gifford Pinchot National Forest — received $4.81 in reimbursement per acre in 2013, the highest payout in Washington state.
U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., who represents the 3rd Congressional District including Lewis County, praised the Senate’s vote in a Wednesday news release.
“Senate passage was the final major hurdle to get communities in Skamania, Lewis and Cowlitz counties the funds they so desperately need, and the President has said he will sign it into law,” Herrera Beutler said. “I remain determined to find a permanent solution for these forested counties that is founded in a return to responsible forest management. No one wants to be right back in this place in two years, especially when we have resources in our own back yard to help pay for schools, roads and services.”
Secure Rural Schools payments to counties are split between public transportation funding and payments to schools, which are then disbursed by the county treasurer’s office.
