Federal Update – House Republicans Nominate Representative Steve Scalise for Speaker and Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan PILT Legislation
October 12, 2023
House Republicans Nominate Representative Steve Scalise for Speaker
On October 11, House Republicans nominated Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA) to become the chamber’s next speaker. Scalise won a secret ballot within the GOP conference, narrowly defeating Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH), who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. While Scalise will be the party’s official candidate, he must still win a House floor vote to earn the speaker’s gavel.
With a razor thin Republican majority and the fractured nature of the caucus, it’s unclear whether Scalise can muster the votes needed for the post. At this point, there are several Republican lawmakers who have expressed support for other candidates and a number of others within the party who have not committed to backing him. For their part, Democrats are expected to unite behind Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as their preferred candidate to lead the House.
While Scalise has yet to lock up the support needed for speaker, GOP lawmakers are already jockeying for other leadership posts. In fact, three candidates have announced their intention to replace Scalise as majority leader. This includes Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern (R-OK), Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL), and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN).
Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan PILT Legislation
On October 11, Representatives Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) and John Duarte (R-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation (H.R. 5929) to permanently authorize the Payments-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILT) program. The program provides payments to counties with non-taxable federal land within their borders to offset the lost property tax revenue. Counties use their annual PILT allocation to carry out essential services on these lands, including solid waste disposal, law enforcement, search and rescue operations, road maintenance, and more.
In California, every county contains some portion of federal land, and there are a dozen in which the federal government owns more than 50 percent. In all, 57 California counties received roughly $61 million earlier this year to cover the costs for 43.7 million acres of federal land – an average of approximately $1.40 per acre. While the per-acre value is minimal, the loss of this funding would be devastating to local communities, particularly those with a large percentage of federally owned land.
CSAC has long advocated for a long-term authorization of mandatory funding for PILT. While the association has supported one-year extensions of the program via the appropriations process, the year-to-year uncertainty prevents counties from being able to plan their budgets accordingly. The Permanently Authorizing PILT Act of 2023 would provide local communities with sustained funding and much-needed predictability.
A copy of the legislation can be accessed here.