Because federal lands may not generally be taxed by state or local governments, the PILT program was created to compensate local governments for the loss of income due to the presence of federal land in their state or county.  In places like Idaho, where the federal government owns nearly two-thirds of the land, the PILT program is critical to communities throughout the state.  I am a strong supporter of ensuring that this program is fully funded so that the federal government can be a good neighbor and meet its obligations to state and local governments.

You may be interested to know that during the 110th Congress I supported legislation making funding for the PILT program mandatory for five years.  Public Law 112-141 included a provision extending this legislation for an additional year, which means that through 2013 PILT will be fully funded and not subject to the whims of the discretionary appropriations process.  Every county in Idaho receives PILT funding, and under this law our state will receive $25 million. I am committed to fulfilling the promises made to public lands counties, not only through 2013 but permanently. 

As Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, I recognize that continuing to fully fund PILT is difficult at a time when budget deficits are threatening our economy and it is necessary to rein in federal spending. Congress must work harder than ever to fund the PILT program and restore a level of fairness for public lands counties across the country.  The least that the federal government can do for these counties is to meet the minimum commitment it made through the PILT program.