Lawmakers Request Full Funding for the PILT Program in Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations Bill

Earlier this week, a group of 30 Senators urged the Senate Appropriations Committee to fully fund the Payments in Lieu of Taxes, or PILT program, for fiscal year 2023. The program provides payments to counties with non-taxable federal land within their borders to offset the lost property tax revenue.

Led by Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet and Idaho Republican Mike Crapo, the lawmakers say the payments fund critical services in those counties. The Senators wrote, “we look forward to working with you to enact a fiscally responsible, long-term solution to fully fund PILT and eliminate the uncertainty that counties face each year.”

Throughout the country, PILT provides critical resources to nearly 1,900 counties across 49 states. Counties have used these payments for more than 40 years to fund law enforcement, firefighting, emergency response, and other essential county services. As communities continue to contend with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the funding also supports communities’ recovery efforts.

Click Here to read the letter written by Bennet and Crapo.

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