Wyden and Merkley introduce bill to extend Secure Rural Schools funding

Bend, Ore. (KTVZ) --- U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced legislation to extend funding for the Secure Rural Schools program for three years. Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch joined as co-sponsors of the bipartisan bill after program funding expired yesterday, Sept. 30, 2026.

The proposed legislation seeks a three-year extension of the program while clarifying congressional intent for funding distribution to Oregon counties containing Bureau of Land Management lands. The program provides federal revenue to rural counties to support public education, infrastructure maintenance, environmental restoration and emergency services.

U.S. Sen. Wyden, D-Oregon, co-authored the original Secure Rural Schools law in 2000. Since its enactment, the program has delivered nearly $4 billion to Oregon counties. Wyden emphasized the need to move past temporary reauthorizations. “Secure Rural Schools is a lifeline for rural Oregon,” Wyden said. “I'll be working as hard as I can to get this bill across the finish line, but the well-being of rural America shouldn't be dependent on Congress getting its act together to renew this funding every few years. It's past time to get rural communities off the financial rollercoaster and deliver a permanent funding solution.”

U.S. Sen. Merkley, D-Oregon, detailed the municipal and safety services supported by the federal program. “The SRS program provides crucial payments that are a lifeline for rural communities here in Oregon and across America—keeping schools open, maintaining roads, restoring watersheds and providing funding for police officers and firefighters to keep families safe,” Merkley said. “A three-year extension of the program and these common-sense updates are critical to ensuring the federal government upholds its promise to our communities and that local governments can reliably access these important resources.”

Funding for the Secure Rural Schools program previously lapsed in September 2023 before Congress restored funding two years later in September 2025. That multiyear interruption deprived rural counties across the nation of funding for local public schools, law enforcement agencies and infrastructure projects.