House and Senate PILT champions circulate letters urging full funding in FY 2020
Author
Upcoming Events
Related News

Key Takeaways
As the FY 2020 appropriations process begins, members of Congress in both the U.S. House and Senate have the opportunity over the coming weeks to submit written appropriations requests in support of all federal programs. During the week of March 18, House and Senate champions of the Payments In-Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program began circulating letters calling on congressional appropriators to provide full-funding in FY 2020. They are currently seeking signatures from other House and Senate members before the signature deadline, which falls on March 28 for the House and April 1 for the Senate.
Without congressional action, nearly 1,900 counties across 49 states face the expiration of critical financial offsets for untaxable federal lands within their jurisdiction. These counties depend on PILT payments from the federal government to keep their communities afloat. PILT dollars allow local governments to provide critical health, education, cultural and emergency services to their residents and federal lands visitors. Failing to act to fulfill this long-standing obligation will leave county governments in 49 states with large revenue shortfalls and unable to provide mandatory, crucial services.
NACo urges county officials to contact your Representatives and Senators and ask them to support full funding of the PILT program in FY 2020 by signing onto their chamber’s PILT appropriations letter. The deadline to sign onto the House letter is March 28th. The deadline to sign the Senate letter is April 1.
Related News

U.S. Department of the Interior announces PILT funding of $644.8 million to be distributed to counties
On June 24, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced that over 1,900 state and local governments nationwide will receive $644.8 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes program (PILT) funding for 2025. A complete list of funding by state and county is available here. You can also check NACo’s County Explorer for detailed county-by-county information on 2024 PILT funding levels.

U.S. House passes rescissions package
On June 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Rescissions Act of 2025 (H.R. 4) in a narrow 214-212 vote. The legislation would cancel $9.4 billion in previously approved federal funding, marking the Trump Administration’s first formal attempt to codify funding cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Interest in energy generation builds in the West
Counties are exploring the potential for energy generation on their public lands, but local control will set the stage for a tradeoff.