News and Articles
05/07/2007
Funding For Santa Fe County On The Line In Congress
Santa Fe – May 7, 2007 – Rep. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), a key member of the House Appropriations
Committee, is being urged to support provisions contained in an amendment to the war supplemental
spending bill which would reauthorize the expired Secure Rural Schools and Community Self
Determination Act and fully fund the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program for counties and
school districts across the country.
Under a new emergency supplemental bill under consideration, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has
proposed a new safety net package for counties and schools who have seen a dramatic drop in
timber receipts or who have a portion of their county owned by the federal government. Without the 5-
year Secure Rural Schools and PILT language in the bill, payments to counties under the critical
programs will revert to pre-2000 levels based on timber revenue sharing.
The Senate last month overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan five-year, $2.8 billion proposal to renew
funding for the Secure Rural Schools bill and to fully fund the PILT program as part of the emergency
supplemental appropriations bill, while the U.S. House passed a one-year extension. In a House-
Senate conference committee, the Senate proposal was not included in the final bill that went to the
President and subsequently vetoed May 1.
Under the Senate plan, the state of New Mexico would receive roughly $50.61 million a year for the
next five years to support rural counties and schools. If the provisions are not adopted by Congress,
the state would receive the old formula amount of only $23.46 million a year – a difference of $27.15
million.
“We are urging Congress to make good on its 30-year-old promise to compensate Santa Fe County
for tax-exempt federal land by fully funding PILT and to renew its 100-year old compact with forest
counties by reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools Act,” said Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry
Montoya, “This will provide five years of stability for many of our schools and communities. It’s past
time for Congress to act.”
Committee, is being urged to support provisions contained in an amendment to the war supplemental
spending bill which would reauthorize the expired Secure Rural Schools and Community Self
Determination Act and fully fund the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program for counties and
school districts across the country.
Under a new emergency supplemental bill under consideration, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has
proposed a new safety net package for counties and schools who have seen a dramatic drop in
timber receipts or who have a portion of their county owned by the federal government. Without the 5-
year Secure Rural Schools and PILT language in the bill, payments to counties under the critical
programs will revert to pre-2000 levels based on timber revenue sharing.
The Senate last month overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan five-year, $2.8 billion proposal to renew
funding for the Secure Rural Schools bill and to fully fund the PILT program as part of the emergency
supplemental appropriations bill, while the U.S. House passed a one-year extension. In a House-
Senate conference committee, the Senate proposal was not included in the final bill that went to the
President and subsequently vetoed May 1.
Under the Senate plan, the state of New Mexico would receive roughly $50.61 million a year for the
next five years to support rural counties and schools. If the provisions are not adopted by Congress,
the state would receive the old formula amount of only $23.46 million a year – a difference of $27.15
million.
“We are urging Congress to make good on its 30-year-old promise to compensate Santa Fe County
for tax-exempt federal land by fully funding PILT and to renew its 100-year old compact with forest
counties by reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools Act,” said Santa Fe County Commissioner Harry
Montoya, “This will provide five years of stability for many of our schools and communities. It’s past
time for Congress to act.”