Senators work to fund PILT
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January 16, 2014 |
On Wednesday, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo, Michael
Bennet, Jim Risch and Mark Udall sent a
bipartisan letter signed by a coalition of
senators to the leadership of the Farm Bill
conference committee requesting that funding for
the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) Program be
included in the final Farm Bill conference
report.
PILT provides federal payments to local
governments to help offset losses in property
taxes due to nontaxable federal land within
their boundaries. These resources are critical
to rural counties across the U.S. that use the
funding to provide services, such as police,
fire protection, emergency response.
In Boundary County, nearly 75-percent of the
land is federally owned.
In a letter to Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and
Ranking Member Thad Cochran of the Senate
Agriculture Committee, the senators wrote,
“Counties across the country, particularly those
containing significant federal landholdings rely
on PILT funds as sizeable percentages of their
budgets. Many of the same rural counties that
rely on programs in the Farm Bill also depend of
PILT to sustain their economies and serve their
citizens”
“Without an extension of PILT, rural counties
will face drastic budget cuts in June and may
struggle to fund the most basic of services,”the
senators added.
At this point, the letter has been signed by
Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), Mike Crapo
(R-Idaho), Mark Udall (D-Colorado), James Risch
(R-Idaho), Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), Jon Tester
(D-Montana), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Martin
Heinrich (D-New Mexico), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon),
Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia), Joe Manchin
(D-West Virgina), Patty Murray (D-Washington),
Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas), Tim Kaine (D-Virginia),
Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Mark Warner
(D-Virginia).
Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch have
fought to prioritize the PILT program and oppose
cuts to its funding.
In 2013, when the Obama administration announced
the decision to cut PILT funding due to
sequestration, Crapo and Risch called the
decision “baseless” and one that could “have
significant impacts on local communities.”
In FY 2013, Idaho received $26.3 million in PILT
payments.
Bennet, who serves as a member of the Farm Bill
conference committee, and Udall have been strong
advocates for fully funding the PILT program.
They have actively pushed essential Senate
committees to prioritize PILT funding, and in
2012 the senators led the fight in support of
PILT and the Secure Rural Schools funding, which
was secured in the transportation bill. |
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