Counties Celebrate Passage of Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act

WASHINGTON – The National Association of Counties (NACo) celebrates the passage of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) Reauthorization Act of 2025 (S. 356). This bipartisan legislation, which restores funding to more than 700 counties across 41 states, was approved yesterday by the U.S. House of Representatives, and previously cleared the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent on June 18.

“Passage of the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act is a major win for counties and a milestone in advancing county policy priorities,” said NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase. “This bill provides critical relief to timber-dependent counties that rely on these funds to maintain essential services and transition toward long-term fiscal stability.”

The bill, led by U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Doug LaMalfa and Joe Neguse, provides back pay for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 and reauthorizes SRS through FY 2026. First enacted in 2000, SRS aids rural counties and school districts affected by the decline in revenue from timber harvests on federal lands. Following a distribution of funds in April 2024, the program’s reauthorization lapsed. Without payments, over 700 timber-dependent counties receiving SRS have faced challenging budgetary shortfalls – an average 80 percent decrease in funding to those counties.

“The SRS program provides critical funding for county services like education, transportation and public safety, with payments especially vital for timber counties as they navigate economic transition and work toward long-term stability,” said Chase. “Counties thank bipartisan champions for SRS in both chambers of Congress for investing in the future of federally forested counties.”

Passage of the bill in the House under “Suspension of the Rules” took place after the bill’s co-sponsors sent a bipartisan, bicameral letter to House leadership urging swift passage of the measure. NACo and county leaders from across the U.S. were among those to advocate strongly for this action.

Learn more about SRS here, and learn more about the passage of reauthorization here.