S. 1508: A bill to amend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to modify the authorized uses of certain county funds and to extend the deadline for participating counties to initiate projects and obligate funds.

S. 1508: A bill to amend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to modify the authorized uses of certain county funds and to extend the deadline for participating counties to initiate projects and obligate funds.

115th Congress · introduced 2017-06-29 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-06-29 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A bill to amend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to modify the authorized uses of certain county funds and to extend the deadline for participating counties to initiate projects and obligate funds.

Plain summary

This bill amends the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to modify the authorized uses of funds a county elects to receive under such Act to include: reimbursing the county for law enforcement patrols and evacuations that are performed on federal land; search and rescue preparedness training; and capital equipment, equipment maintenance, and other purchases related to carrying out search and rescue and other emergency services. A participating county may reallocate funds for a different use than authorized only after the 45-day public comment period has ended, at the beginning of which the county shall publish a description of how it proposes to use the funds. The bill extends the authority for the initiation of county projects until the end of FY2019 and allows county funds to remain available until expended.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A bill to amend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 to modify the authorized uses of certain county funds and to extend the deadline for participating counties to initiate projects and obligate funds.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · 6 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Ron Wyden (D-OR), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), James E. Risch (R-ID), Patty Murray (D-WA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] reported raising $5.4 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Public comment: A chance for anyone to tell a government agency what they think about a proposed rule or plan before it is final. Agencies must consider the comments they receive.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s1508.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s1508 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115