County Payments
In 1999, Senator Wyden teamed up with Republican Senator Larry Craig to author the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, commonly known as the “county payments” law. The law honors the federal government’s historic commitment to rural communities where the federal government holds land, establishing a payment formula for counties that had previously received revenue-sharing payments from U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands. Since Wyden got the law passed in October 2000, the program has brought more than $3.1 billion dollars to Oregon counties -- to keep teachers in classrooms, sheriffs on the job and roads in good repair.
Widen secured a one-year extension of the program in 2007 and then fought for and won a four-year re-authorization of the program in 2008. Since then, he has secured extensions of the program and is working to end the cycle of uncertainty for the program. He introduced the bipartisan Forest Management for Rural Stability Act to provide financial stability to the Secure Rural Schools program by making it permanent and creating an endowment fund to provide stable, increasing and reliable funding for county services.
Latest
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February 12, 2015
Wyden, Crapo Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Renew Safety Net for Rural Counties
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April 04, 2014
Oregon Delegation Applauds Release of Timber Payments to Oregon Counties
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September 19, 2013
Wyden, Murkowski Applaud Senate’s Passage of Helium Legislation
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August 29, 2013
Wyden: USDA Must Provide Fairness For Rural Counties
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August 01, 2013
Wyden Stands Up for Rural Counties
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June 18, 2013
Wyden, Merkley Applaud Step Forward for Secure Rural Schools Extension, Oregon Treasures
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May 23, 2013
Wyden Announces Framework for O&C Legislation; Offers Proposal that will Create Jobs, Provide Revenue to Counties, Protect Old Growth and Wilderness
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April 16, 2013
Wyden Q&A with Forest Service Chief on NEPA and Hazardous Fuels
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April 16, 2013
Wyden Opening Statement on Forest Service Budget
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April 16, 2013
Wyden Q&A with Forest Service Chief on Management of National Forests
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March 28, 2013
Wyden and Merkley Statement on Secure Rural Schools Money
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March 19, 2013
Wyden Closing Statement in Energy Hearing on Secure Rural Schools and PILT
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March 19, 2013
Wyden Q&A in Energy Hearing on Secure Rural Schools & PILT
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March 19, 2013
Wyden Opening Statement in Energy Hearing on Secure Rural Schools & PILT
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February 15, 2013
Baucus and Wyden Pledge to Extend Secure Rural Schools Program
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February 08, 2013
Wyden Statement on Secure Rural Schools Payments
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May 10, 2012
Wyden Leads Letter to Senate Conferees Calling for County Payments and PILT to be Adopted in Surface Transportation Conference
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March 14, 2012
Wyden Statement on Senate Passage of County Payments Extension
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February 13, 2012
Wyden Statement on County Payments Funding in the President’s Budget
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October 05, 2011
Oregon Leadership Unites Behind Legislation to Extend County Payments Program
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August 03, 2011
Wyden Chairs Energy Subcommittee with BLM Director Part 2
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February 14, 2011
President’s Budget Includes Reauthorization Funding for County Payments Program
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June 18, 2009
Wyden Statement on Lane County Decision to Use County Payment Money for Jail Beds
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January 15, 2009
Wyden welcomes Administration statement supporting extension of county payments
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January 15, 2009
Senate Committee Agrees to Tax Package with County Payments Extension
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January 15, 2009
Senate Energy Tax Legislation Would Extend County Payments Through 2011
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October 24, 2008
Wyden Uses Oregon Products from Rural Counties to Thank Senate Leaders for Passage of County Timber Payments
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October 03, 2008
Wyden's Multi-Year County Payments Extension Will Become Law
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September 26, 2008
White House Backs Senate Legislation to Extend County Payments
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September 16, 2008
Senate Committee Agrees to Tax Package with County Payments Extension
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July 16, 2008
Wyden and Senate Colleagues Push for County Payments Funding
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June 09, 2008
Senate Tax Package Includes County Payments Extension
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May 22, 2008
Senate Approves County Payments Extension
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May 08, 2008
Senate Committee Assigns $400 Million for County Payments
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January 24, 2008
Wyden, Smith Remind Storm Victims that Disaster Assistance Deadline is Approaching
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December 05, 2007
County Payments Deal Promises $1.8 Billion Dollars for Rural Schools and Communities
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June 19, 2007
County Payments Multi-Year Renewal is Added to Energy Tax Legislation
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April 04, 2007
Wyden Lauds Passage of County Payments Amendment
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April 04, 2007
Senators Continue Fight for Rural Communities
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April 04, 2007
Oregon Senators Press for County Payments
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April 04, 2007
Wyden's Talks with Reid, Baucus and Bingaman Yield Multi-Year County Payments Fix
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April 04, 2007
Senators Introduce Multi-Year County Payments Renewal
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January 24, 2007
West Coast Senators Put County Payments on Senate Agenda
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December 06, 2006
Wyden, Smith win critical commitment from administration to work on county funding for Oregon's rural communities
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December 06, 2006
Wyden addresses national coalition,continues drumbeat for county payments
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December 06, 2006
Wyden Blocks Two Interior Department Nominees over County Payments Funding