Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Co 2)
Lafayette, CO — Today, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse announced that, thanks to the implementation of his bill, the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act (signed into law in December 2025), the U.S. Forest Service will issue $182 million in retroactive Secure Rural Schools (SRS) payments for 2024. These funds provide vital support to rural and mountain communities that are home to federal lands, helping sustain public schools, maintain local roads, strengthen wildfire preparedness, and support other essential services in rural communities.
“The Secure Rural Schools program is a vital lifeline for the communities I serve across Western Colorado, and I’m incredibly proud that after years of hard work, these payments will make folks across our state and throughout rural America whole, ensuring that each community receives its full amount. This funding delivers real support for teachers, students, first responders, and so many others — and I look forward to continuing to see it expand possibilities for the people I’m honored to represent, from Grand County to Eagle County and everywhere in between,” said Congressman Neguse.
The USFS previously issued 2024 payments under the 1908 revenue-sharing framework since SRS had not been reauthorized. The payments announced today will make up the difference to ensure that every community receives its full allocation for 2024 payments.
More information can be found by visiting the USFS’s Secure Rural Schools Programwebpage.
Neguse worked alongside the late Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) to officially reauthorize SRS at the end of last year, after it lapsed in September 2023. Prior to that, he secured two-year extensions for the SRS program in 2019 and as part of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021.
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