Posted 9/18/2014
(Washington, Jan. 7, 2014) – Gannett’s Washington bureau is reporting that the new farm bill cobbled together today does in fact contain funding for PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes,) just as Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei and other Western congressmen were promised earlier when the funding was left out of the omnibus spending bill.
The $400 million set aside for this fiscal year is approximately the same as was paid out in 2013 to counties with large tracts of federal public lands not subject to property taxes. The distribution formula has remained largely the same for several years, meaning Nevada counties get about $23 million, considerably less per acre and per capita than other Western states.
Votes in the House and Senate on the compromise bill are expected in the coming weeks.
According to The Hill, the bill also includes nearly $1 trillion in funding for agriculture subsidies, crop insurance and food stamps for 10 years. It would reduce food stamp funding by about $8 billion, much less than what many Republicans wanted.
Rep. Steven Horsford, who represents the Southern portion of rural Nevada, has noted that a a short-term extension to PILT, which expires in June, was being worked out. “However, Nevadans need a long-term solution,” he said.