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Tag: PILT

Daines, Cortez Masto Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Low-Population and Rural Counties

March 27, 2025

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

Tester, Daines call on Senate to fully fund critical payments to Montana counties

November 23, 2015

PILT helps 55 Montana counties pay for essential services (Montana) – Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines are calling on Senate leaders to fully fund a critical tool for Montana counties.  Tester and Daines urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to fully fund Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) for the 2016 Fiscal Year.  PILT payments are made by the Department of the Interior to 55 Montana counties with federal lands that are not taxable by local governments, but the lands’ presence creates demands for local government services, such as law enforcement and infrastructure. 

Daines: Montana Counties Set to Receive $2.3 Million in Additional PILT Payments

November 4, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today announced that the Department of Interior has allocated nearly $2.3 million in additional Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funds to Montana rural counties. The Department of Interior has issued nationwide an additional $34,484,000 in payments under the 2015 PILT program. The funds have been made available as a result of a technical fix Daines fought for in the Continuing Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2015 passed on September 30, 2015.  “These payments are welcome news for numerous Montana communities who have suffered from severe economic challenges due to declining timber harvests and natural