Latest news with #SecureRuralSchoolsandCommunitySelf-DeterminationActof2000
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After federal funding cut, Alaska Legislature asks Congress to help rural schools
Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, speaks Feb. 21, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) A group of Alaska's rural school districts are asking for help after the federal government failed to renew a program that sends grant money to logging-dependent areas. On Monday, the Alaska Legislature joined the call for help by passing House Joint Resolution 5, which asks Congress to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. That act sent $12.6 million to Alaska schools in federal fiscal year 2023, but Congress has thus far failed to reauthorize the program. The state Senate passed HJR 5 by a 19-1 vote on May 9 after modifying a version originally written by Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan. The House agreed with the changes, 37-3, on Monday. The votes against the resolution came from conservative Republicans who generally oppose federal spending. The Secure Rural Schools Act, as it is commonly known, was designed to compensate rural school districts for tax revenue lost as the federal government began to restrict logging in the 1990s. In 2023, the law provided more than $250 million to districts nationwide, with about 5% of the funding coming to Alaska. For some of Southeast Alaska's rural school districts, the money was a big part of the local budget. Yakutat, for example, received more than $6,500 per student. Wrangell had almost $3,500, and the money was worth $584 for each of Ketchikan's 2,045 students. HJR 5, which will be sent to every member of Congress, asks for retroactive funding and for a permanent funding source to pay for the bill. It also encourages Congress to open more federal land to timber cutting 'in a manner that supports rural economic revitalization, conserves habitat, and promotes forest health.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska legislators ask feds to reinstate program that sent money to rural schools
Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, speaks Feb. 21, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) The Alaska House of Representatives is asking Congress to fix a problem with a program that pays money to rural school districts affected by the decline of the timber industry. On Monday, the House voted 35-4 to pass a resolution urging Congress to reinstate the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. Congress failed to renew the act earlier this year, costing rural Alaska districts more than $12 million in funding. Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, introduced House Resolution 5 after the congressional failure. 'This represents more than $12 million of funding that is directly being used for our schools and our communities,' he said Monday on the House floor. 'This has a significant impact to our communities, and if this is not renewed, it will cause hardship for many of our small communities without a way out.' The communities of Petersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan, Juneau and Craig all testified in support of the resolution, which also asks that the act be permanently funded. The four votes against the resolution came from Reps. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River; Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake; Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla; and Sarah Vance, R-Homer. Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome, was excused absent. Speaking on the House floor, McCabe said he thinks it's a mistake for Alaska communities to rely on federal funding and that the state is owed land by the federal government. Developing that land could generate revenue that would offset the need for federal help, he said. Other lawmakers spoke for the majority of House members in favor of the resolution. 'I think it's a matter of fundamental fairness,' said House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage. 'It is the most responsible thing we can do to speak up for our neighbors.' HJR 5 now goes to the Senate for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
