Cortez Masto, Rosen Announce Nearly $3.5 Million in Funding for Rural Communities She Secured in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Washington, D.C.  – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced $3,411,616 in funding headed to Nevada through the U.S. Forest Service from the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program to support public schools, roads and other local services in rural Nevada. Cortez Masto and Rosen ensured the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law reauthorized funding for the SRS program to assist rural communities across the country. 

“I fought to secure critical funding for Nevada’s rural communities through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “The SRS program provides vital support to our small towns, helping to ensure that every Nevadan, no matter where they live, has access to the resources they need to succeed.”

“Secure Rural Schools is a critical program that helps provide essential funding for counties across rural Nevada,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to have helped rural counties in Nevada receive more than $3 million from this program to support local schools, bolster emergency services, and improve wildland fire management. I’ll continue working to ensure rural communities in Nevada get a fair share of federal funding.”

The SRS program provides assistance to rural counties impacted by the decline in revenue from land use activities on federal lands. The program also reimburses rural counties for emergency services on national forests, and it funds programs to protect our communities from wildfires.

In addition to SRS payments, the Forest Service is using funding supported by Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act to improve forest conditions, support local economies and create jobs by investing in forest restoration projects, road and trail maintenance and recreation opportunities.

Senators Cortez Masto  and Rosen has led efforts in Congress to support Nevada’s rural communities. Cortez Masto ensured the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s reauthorization of SRS funds included her bipartisan Connected Rural Schools Act, which will allow rural counties to use Secure Rural Schools funds to improve internet access at local schools. They’ve also secured billions for the Department of the Interior to support wildfire risk reduction, including $8 billion for wildfire prevention, suppression, and restoration activities and $10 million for wildfire detection equipment.

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