U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today introduced a bill to support rural communities. The “Small County PILT Parity Act” would allow counties with populations under 5,000 to receive increased Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) payments to create parity with larger counties where per capita funding increases as population decreases.
“PILT payments are essential for many of Montana’s rural counties, and they provide funding for essential services like emergency response and transportation. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan bill to bring parity to the PILT program and ensure our rural and low-population counties are treated fairly,” said Daines.
“This bipartisan bill ensures that our most rural counties are treated fairly when it comes to receiving PILT dollars. These counties rely on federal funding for critical projects and services, and I will always fight to ensure that communities in all 17 of Nevada’s counties have the resources they need to thrive,” said Cortez Masto.
Read the bill text HERE.
Statements of Support:
“The Montana Association of Counties supports the Small County PILT Parity Act and encourages our delegation to advocate for this reasonable change to the formula. We appreciate Senator Daines’ leadership on this issue, and the work of Commissioner Devlin in working with our federal delegation to address parity in PILT Payments. The Small PILT Parity Act levels the playing field for small population counties without harming other PILT recipients. While the fiscal impact is small for the program, it is significant for rural counties with large swaths of public lands.” – MACo Executive Director Eric Bryson
“Over 1,900 counties across the United States utilize PILT funding to provide essential services for our residents, including emergency services, transportation infrastructure, law enforcement and healthcare. The Small County PILT Parity Act ensures that rural counties with significant tracts of federal land but limited populations have the resources necessary to deliver services to residents and visitors alike. Counties applaud the efforts of Senators Daines and Cortez Masto and urge swift passage of this bipartisan legislation,”— National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase
Background:
PILT funds are payments from the federal government to county governments to offset the loss of property taxes from federally owned lands in that county. The “Small County PILT Party Act” would create four new tiers in the PILT Formula (1,000, 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000) to allow for higher payments for eligible counties. Currently, 19 counties in Montana have a lower population than the 5,000 baseline.
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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Rachel Dumke