Secure Rural Schools Act Reauthorized: Payments to Counties with Federal Land Extended Through 2026

The Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025 extends a lifeline for counties across the country that have significant amounts of federal land within their borders. Instead of tax revenue from private land, these counties get a slice of federal payments—and this bill keeps that system going through 2026.

Cash Flow and County Choices

The core of the bill is pretty straightforward: it extends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, ensuring that states and counties continue to receive federal payments. These payments are critical because counties can't collect property taxes on federal lands, which can make up a huge chunk of their area. Think of a county where a massive national forest takes up 60% of the land – that's a lot of potential tax revenue they're missing out on. This bill helps fill that gap. Importantly, if counties already got some of this type of funding for 2024 or 2025, those amounts will be deducted from the new payments (SEC. 2). The Treasury has to cut those checks within 45 days of this law passing.

One key change is that counties will stick with their 2023 choices for how they use the funds, at least for 2024 and 2025 (SEC. 2). This means less local control in the short term, as counties won't be able to immediately adjust their spending priorities based on new elections.

Project Power-Up and Extended Deadlines

Beyond the basic payments, the bill also extends the authority for "special projects" on federal land. This means Resource Advisory Committees (RACs), which are groups of local citizens, can keep working with federal agencies on projects like improving forest health or maintaining roads and trails. Imagine a local RAC proposing a project to reduce wildfire risk near a town – this bill allows those kinds of initiatives to continue. The deadline to start these projects is pushed to 2029, and the deadline to finish is also 2029 (SEC. 2). The bill also extends a pilot program for resource advisory committees until 2026. (SEC. 3).

Smoothing Out the Details

Finally, the bill includes some "technical corrections" – basically, fixing typos and updating references (SEC. 4). These aren't major changes, but they help make the law clearer and more accurate. For example, it changes "the date of enactment of this Act" to the specific date of "October 3, 2008" in section 205(c)(3), making it easier to understand exactly which law is being referenced. These changes are about clarity, not changing the substance of the law.