A bill to provide for the application of certain provisions of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 for fiscal year 2021.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3706. Under longtime Federal law, counties located within the National Forest System have received a share of revenues generated through the sale of timber harvested from those Federal lands.

This revenue has been critical for forested counties to support schools, roads, law enforcement, search-and-rescue operations, and other local activities that benefit both our forests and rural communities.

However, with the sharp decline in timber harvesting across the National Forest System since the early 1990s, rural counties have seen revenues for schools and other important local services plummet as a result.

To offset this lost revenue, Congress created the Secure Rural Schools program in 2000 to provide additional funding to participating counties based on their average historical timber payments.

In my own district in north Florida, Putnam County and Marion County have received a combined total of more than $624,000 through the Secure Rural Schools program, thanks to the sale of timber harvested out of the Ocala National Forest.

In rural counties like Putnam, this funding provides support for the county's schools, roads, and other critical services. It is no different in Marion County.

The recent infrastructure bill, signed into law this past November, reauthorized the Secure Rural Schools for the next 3 years. However, due to a drafting error, this reauthorization did not lock in the payment allocations that participating counties last elected in 2013.

Consequently, payments for this spring will revert to their default levels in permanent law. This means that county allocations will revert to 80 percent for Title I, 20 percent for Title II, and zero percent for Title III.

To correct this problem, S. 3706 will lock in the 2013 elections for the coming year. In doing so, the bill will provide certainty and consistency for county payments that will be made in the coming months.

Fundamental errors like this demonstrate how flawed and rushed the process was to pass the infrastructure bill this last year. It also demonstrates the need for committee consideration and why committees should not be bypassed before bringing a bill to the floor.

However, given the great importance of county payments to both forested counties and rural school districts around the Nation, I support this commonsense technical fix and urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

As we continue to consider how to best steward our national forests and support forested communities, I would like to add that increasing timber harvesting across the National Forest System will better support these counties and reduce the need for this program in the long run.

Regardless of what the critics say, timber harvesting will encourage forest health and will help prevent the devastating wildfires that have torn through America's forests in recent years. Our forests are an important pillar for our rural economies and provide much-needed revenue to our local counties and schools, like those in my own district.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S.

3706) to provide for the application of certain provisions of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 for fiscal year 2021.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 3706. This bill makes important corrections to the recently passed Secure Rural Schools reauthorization. Without these corrections, counties would not have the choice of electing to receive SRS payments or electing to receive Federal timber harvest receipts. Rather, they would have to take SRS payments.

Furthermore, the current reauthorization does not allow counties to elect their allocations in advance of their fiscal year 2021 payments, meaning all eligible counties would receive 80 percent Title I funds, 20 percent Title II funds, and no Title III funds.

While Title I payments, used for roads and schools, will be the bulk of the payment either way, it is important to ensure that counties get access to Title III funds. Title III funds are important because they can be used for specified county purposes. These purposes can include law enforcement on Federal land, search and rescue, and wildfire risk reduction.

This fix will help timber-dependent counties across the country and ensure continued support for roads, schools, law enforcement, and environmental benefits.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and urge adoption of this bill.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 3706, which is at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.