Bennet, Neguse Celebrate Final Passage of Bill to Reauthorize Rural Schools Program

Dec 10, 2025|Press Releases
Washington, D.C.— Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Colorado U.S. Representative Joe Neguse celebrated the final passage of their Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act to reauthorize the bipartisan Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. The SRS program provides vital funds to rural and mountain communities that are home to federal lands, which are tax-exempt. The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
“The Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act is a lifeline for Colorado counties that steward our public lands and shoulder the responsibilities that come with them. These resources help rural communities keep teachers in classrooms, maintain safe roads, and provide public safety services that counties rely on,”said Bennet.
“The Secure Rural Schools program is a vital lifeline for the communities I serve across Western Colorado, and I’m proud that our efforts to build a bipartisan coalition in support of the program have enabled my legislation to get across the finish line. My top priority is always to deliver for the people I represent, forging common ground to advance the common good for our communities — from Grand County to Eagle County and everywhere in between. That’s why I’m incredibly proud to see my proposal to reauthorize SRS make its way to the President’s desk, continuing this crucial program for rural counties,”said Neguse.
The Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act passed the Senate in June by unanimous consent.
The SRS program supports investments in local infrastructure, public safety, and public education. For communities in Colorado, this includes funding for wildfire mitigation, search-and-rescue operations, and trail and road maintenance. Rural school districts can also use SRS payments to improve school transportation services, ensure high-quality instructional materials, create new extracurricular activities, and more.
Bennet has long supported reauthorizing and funding SRS. In 2017, heintroducedlegislation to reauthorize SRS andsecureda two-year reauthorization in the 2018 Omnibus Spending Bill. In 2018, Bennet and a bipartisan group of senatorsurgedSenate leadership to include reauthorization for SRS in any end-of-year package. In 2019, hesupportedlegislation that would extend SRS through fiscal year (FY) 2020. Later that year, Congress authorized SRS funding for FY19 and FY20. In February 2021, Bennetintroducedlegislation to reauthorize the SRS through September 2022. In August of that year, Bennetapplaudedthe extension of the SRS through 2023 in the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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