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Baucus, Tester Secure Senate Support for Rural Schools, Jobs

Montana’s U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester helped usher a one-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program through the Senate last week. The SRS program brought $20 million to Montana’s rural forest communities last year. SRS expired in September of 2012, and without this extension, rural Montana counties would lose funding for schools and roads.

The Senate extension is fully paid for and will not add to the deficit.

"Our rural counties depend on SRS to keep teachers in the classroom and lights on at the Highway Department," Baucus said. "These aren’t handouts, this money is rightfully owed to Montana counties, and Montana jobs depend on it."

"Putting Montanans to work strengthening our infrastructure by building roads and bridges will grow our economy," Tester said. "Montana’s rural communities depend on good roads and good schools. Extending Secure Rural Schools helps rural economies grow, and I’m proud to continue my support for Montana’s forested counties."

The SRS program is designed to compensate rural counties for the loss of local revenue due to reductions in timber harvests on federal land. The next round of SRS payments would normally go out in January, but won’t be delivered unless the program is extended. The SRS extension that passed the Senate last week now must be passed by the House of Representatives before being signed into law.

Baucus and Tester are also working to extend the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. The next round of PILT payments is not scheduled to go out until June of 2014. And Baucus and Tester will continue working to ensure it is extended before then.

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