Peters introduces bill to help rural communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A bill that aims to aid rural communities was introduced in the U.S. Senate today.

Senator Gary Peters helped introduce a bill that would reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program and permanently fund the Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. The SRS program helps fund schools, roads, and emergency response services in counties near national forests, while PILT helps rural counties make up for tax revenue they aren’t able to obtain from federal lands.

In 2014, eight U.P. counties received over $2 million in payments from the SRS program, and just this year, twelve counties got over $3 million in PILT funding.

The bill would also permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a conservation program set to expire September 30th.