REFERENCE TITLE: rural schools; reauthorization; urging Congress

State of Arizona Senate Fifty-third Legislature Second Regular Session 2018

SCM 1007

Introduced by Senator Griffin

 

A CONCURRENT MEMORIAL

 

urging the united states congress to reauthorize secure rural schools and community self-determination act funding.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

To the Congress of the United States of America:

Your memorialist respectfully represents:

Whereas, rural communities and schools in and around national forests have historically relied on a share of receipts from timber harvests to support education services and roads; and

Whereas, in the 1980s, federal restrictions substantially diminished the revenue-generating timber harvests permitted in these forests; and

Whereas, the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (SRS) was passed in 2000 to stabilize and transition payments to counties and schools away from the declining and unreliable share of timber sales; and

Whereas, the failure of Congress to honor the more than 100-year-old contract between the federal government and heavily forested communities by not reauthorizing SRS funding for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 and other years created budgetary shortfalls for rural counties and school districts.

Wherefore your memorialist, the Senate of the State of Arizona, the House of Representatives concurring, prays:

1.  That the United States Congress immediately reauthorize SRS funding for fiscal years 2019 and 2020 and work toward a long-term solution.

2.  That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona transmit a copy of this Memorial to the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.