Press Releases

LAKEWOOD — Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) and Congressman Joe Neguse (CO-02) this week introduced the Permanently Authorizing PILT Act to guarantee reliable federal payments to Colorado counties that provide essential services on and around tax-exempt federal lands. Without predictable mandatory funding, counties will never have the true assurance of the federal revenue that they receive.

The Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program provides payments to counties, including 56 in Colorado, and other local governments with non-taxable federal lands within their borders to offset lost property tax revenue. These payments are key for local governments to fund services including transportation infrastructure projects, education, law enforcement, healthcare, and emergency services. While PILT has operated under reauthorizations for previous fiscal years, this legislation would make the program a mandatory funding effort by Congress not subject to the federal appropriations process. A permanent authorization will provide certainty for counties, ensuring they can maintain their services without disruption. 

“Our rural communities provide essential services on and around federal lands—from roads and schools to emergency response—and they deserve funding they can count on. These counties shouldn’t have to wonder every year whether the federal government will provide needed support for these services,” said Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen. “I’m proud to work with my friend, Rep. Neguse, to make PILT permanent so these counties can plan for the future and keep delivering for Coloradans.”

“Colorado’s 2nd District spans from the Front Range to the Western Slope, including many communities that rely on federal PILT payments for essential local services — from firefighting and search-and-rescue operations to the construction of public schools and roads. Our bill, the Permanently Authorizing PILT Act, makes this program permanent, ensuring local governments can rely on a consistent stream of federal support to keep their communities thriving,” said Congressman Joe Neguse. 

“Many Western Counties depend on PILT to balance our budgets. The services, (Search and Rescue, Fire, law Enforcement, Road maintenance etc.) we must provide on public land are a huge strain on our budgets,” said Dwayne McFall, Fremont County Colorado Commissioner and National Association of Counties Western Interstate Region President, “Without PILT many services would have to be cut. Permanent funding of PILT would create a long-term sustainable solution for counties.”

“Public lands may be national treasures, but their footprint is local. In Chaffee County approximately 80% of the land is federally owned and is completely exempt from local property taxes. PILT is a crucial tool of fairness and fills the structural revenue gap so our small taxpayer base isn't forced to single-handedly foot the bill for essential services, from rural road maintenance, to emergency response and public safety for millions of visitors each year. I greatly appreciate Congresswoman  Pettersen’s efforts in pushing to make PILT a reliable and permanent fixture in the appropriations process.” said Gina Lucrezi, Chaffee County Commissioner.

“Counties with federal public lands are responsible for delivering essential services — from public safety and search and rescue to roads, infrastructure and wildfire mitigation — even though they cannot collect property taxes on those lands,” said National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase. “PILT helps counties offset those lost revenues and meet these responsibilities in the 62 percent of America’s counties with federal lands. We applaud Representatives Pettersen and Neguse for introducing the bipartisan Permanently Authorizing PILT Act, which would give public lands counties the long-term certainty they need to plan, budget and deliver for their residents and visitors. We urge Congress to pass this critical legislation into law quickly.”

The Department of Interior makes PILT payments to over 1,850 counties in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Counties have used these payments for more than 40 years to fund essential county services. In 2026, Colorado was compensated more than $53 million through the PILT program.

Congresswoman Pettersen previously introduced the bipartisan Permanently Authorizing PILT Act of 2023. She has led a bipartisan letter to the Appropriations Committee requesting full and robust funding for the PILT program in every Appropriations cycle since being elected to Congress. She has advocated and secured funding for local and county governments, including for rural communities, to ensure they have the funding and support to address the needs of all residents.  

Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

###

To access downloadable, high-quality photos, click here. To stay up-to-date on what Pettersen is doing in Congress, follow her on Twitter here, Facebook here, or Instagram here. Residents can also sign-up for her e-newsletter subscription here.