Human Services & Education Policy Steering Committee

On April 7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a final rule issuing new regulatory guidance for the department’s environmental review processes. The new rule affects how USDA implements the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and affects projects funded by the agency or occurring on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). 

To many county elections officials, the SAVE Act and a recent executive order are solutions in search of problems with citizenship verification and mail-in ballots. 

Before he pitched for the Washington Nationals, Chris Schroder worked for a semester for the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma, and the organization later welcomed him back as executive director.

On Apr. 14, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced the distribution of $230.6 million to counties through the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program for fiscal year (FY) 2025. The funding will support essential local government services in more than 700 counties nationwide. The FY 2025 payments announced by USFS were authorized by the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025 (P.L. 119-58). 

On March 31, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced details of a major reorganization of the agency’s offices and management structure. The agency’s new structure comes amid a larger reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which houses the Forest Service.