Idaho Congressional Delegation, State Treasurer Announce Secure Rural Schools Payments

Boise, Idaho--U.S. Senators for Idaho Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, U.S. Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, and Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth announced Idaho counties will receive a total of $24 million in payments for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 under the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. Under Idaho law, 30 percent of SRS funding goes to counties to help fund schools, and the remaining 70 percent is allocated for roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects.

The U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management administer the funds. Payment levels are based on a formula including economic activity, timber harvest levels and other considerations that vary from county to county. Idaho is set to receive the third-highest total payment in the U.S., behind Oregon and California.

"As these Secure Rural Schools funds are distributed to Idaho counties, they will help support the schools, roads and bridges that rural communities rely on," said Ellsworth. "My office is proud to help ensure these dollars reach counties and further opportunities for our rural communities."

"The federal government has a responsibility to counties home to federal lands in Idaho and across the country to help support essential public services like roads, emergency response and schools given these communities' inability to collect property taxes," said Crapo. "I continue working to secure a long-term, permanent solution so county governments can plan with certainty and no longer have to rely on year-to-year congressional approval."

"The federal government made a promise to rural communities that rely on SRS for schools, road maintenance, and other essential services," said Risch. "Until we can bring historic timber revenue back to these areas, I will work with Congress to reauthorize this important program."

"Rural counties across Idaho depend on the Secure Rural Schools program," said Simpson. "I'm pleased to see these funds allocated to help Idaho schools, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects. As a longtime supporter of the SRS program, I have been proud to advocate for critical funding alongside my Idaho colleagues, and we will continue to fight for a long-term solution."

"Federal programs like SRS are vital to Idaho's rural communities, where a high level of land is owned by the federal government. However, this funding has grown increasingly difficult to garner support for in the U.S. Congress, as states without vast federal landholdings often view this program as a subsidy," said Fulcher. "I'm pleased to see these funds released to our state and will continue to work towards a long-term solution that ensures Idahoans-not the federal government-are the sole determiners of Idaho's future success and well-being."

For more information about the administration of public funds by the State Treasurer's Office (STO), visit the STO's website HERE.

Background on the SRS program:

• Congress first authorized the SRS program in 2000 with the enactment of the SRS and Community Self-Determination Act.

• This legislation specifically assists counties containing tracts of federally owned forest land that are tax-exempt.

• The program provides payments to county governments in areas where those forests are located because counties do not receive tax revenue from federal land; the payments come through timber receipts and other revenue-generating activities within U.S. national forests.

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