On Tuesday, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported final passage of S. 47, the Natural Resources Management Act. The legislation includes over 100 individual bills which deliver local solutions to public lands issues, primarily in the west. The bill includes two bills authored by Congressman Simpson that resolve boundary adjustments and management of recreation facilities. S. 47 also… Read more »

Washington, D.C. - Today, the Idaho Congressional Delegation voted to pass H.J. Res. 31, which funds the rest of government through the end of fiscal year 2019. The legislation contains many important priorities that will directly benefit Idaho and provide funding for border security. Specifically, the legislation funds the Agriculture; Commerce, Justice, Science; Interior and… Read more »

Simpson and Kilmer Introduce LAND Act to Enhance Federal Investment in Public Lands Conservation bill would permanently reauthorize LWCF and create new dedicated funding to address the maintenance backlog at National Parks and other public lands   Today, Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID) and Congressman Derek Kilmer (D-WA) introduced the Land and National Park Deferred Maintenance… Read more »

Washington, D.C. - The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement and proposed plan amendments addressing Greater Sage-Grouse conservation on public land in Idaho last week. The proposal seeks to align the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resource management plans with Idaho’s state management plan. “I am pleased to see the… Read more »

Washington, D.C. – The House Committee on Natural Resources passed H.R. 6510, the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act and H.R. 502 today, which permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson has been a leader on both issues having introduced legislation to reauthorize LWCF and address deferred maintenance on our public lands. “I… Read more »

Washington, D.C. - Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson joined a bipartisan coalition of members of Congress to introduce the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act. The bill would create a dedicated fund to address the $12 billion maintenance backlog in the National Parks (NPS) and multibillion-dollar backlog that exists at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service… Read more »

On Wednesday, the Department of the Interior announced fiscal year 2018 Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) payments, which compensate local governments for the inability to collect property taxes on federal land. Idaho is slated to receive $36.1 million in fiscal year 2018, along with the $26 million from Secure Rural Schools Payments (SRS) the Forest Service announced in May. PILT funding… Read more »

Simpson Includes Important Idaho Provisions in Committee Passed Bill Watch the Congressman discuss Sage Grouse and Science Transparency at the EPA during the House Interior Appropriations Markup Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Appropriations Committee passed the fiscal year 2019 Interior and Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations bill by a vote of 25-20. Included in the… Read more »

On Monday, the U.S. Forest Service announced Secure Rural Schools (SRS) payment distributions, which is critically important for Idaho’s rural counties. SRS funding fulfills the federal government’s responsibility to counties with tax-exempt federal lands, specifically counties with high percentages of national forests. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, which passed in March… Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today applauded the House passage of H.R. 1625, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, which included monumental benefits for Idaho and Western States.  “This is a comprehensive and responsible package that contains so many important provisions for Idaho and Western States,” said Simpson. “It is the product of this past year’s worth of thoughtful… Read more »