Legislation would halt major cut to key county revenue source
WASHINGTON – October 21, 2025, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) announced that their bill to provide critical federal funding for northeastern Minnesota counties hosting federal wilderness lands passed on a bipartisan basis out of the Sen ate Agriculture Committee.
“Thye-Blatnik payments have been a vital source of revenue for Cook, St. Louis and Lake Counties in northeastern Minnesota since 1948. But in 2018, a suspect and likely wrong reappraisal led to massive potential cuts in county revenue, which would have devastating impacts for communities in Northern Minnesota,” said Sen. Smith. “By setting a permanent floor for these payments, my bill ensures these counties have the resources they need for infrastructure, public safety, and other essential services for decades to come. I look forward to seeing this bi partisan and urgently needed legislation continue to move through Congress.”
“Thye-Blatnik payments support law enforcement, firefighters, infrastructure improvements, and search-and-rescue operations within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilder ness,” said Sen. Klobuchar, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. “Passing this bill out of Committee is a step toward ensuring these services continue to benefit the Minnesotans who live there, as well as the visitors who travel from around the state and nation to spend time in the federal forest and wilderness areas.”
Cook, Lake, and St. Louis counties benefit from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilder ness (BWCAW) as a world-renowned tourist destination, but they also forgo property taxes and other potential revenue streams. The Minnesota Senators’ bill would restore fairness to the longstanding Thye-Blatnik payment system and stop massive cuts in county revenue in the future.
Also included in the full package of legislation passed out of the Committee was the Lake Winnibigoshish Land Exchange Act, which would facilitate a land exchange between Bowen Lodge in Itasca County and the U.S. Forest Service, providing members of the community greater access to recreational opportunities.
The bills now head to the full Senate Floor for passage
