Social services need more revenue
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Editor,
Hey Montanans! Our state is receiving an almost $3 billion windfall from the American Rescue Plan Act. Some is designated to be spent on Kindergarten through 12th grade education, emergency rental help, pandemic unemployment benefits, COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, and budget relief for towns, cities and tribal governments. All of this is being handled by our state legislators. The state will have about $900 million in unrestricted funds to dole out, as well as the designated funds. Our legislature only has one more month to go and an extra whopping amount of dollars to spend.
Thus far, there are a lot of proposals to cut revenues with various tax cuts and tax credits. It is great that Gianforte wants to spend $350M on increasing broadband across Montana (we rank 50th for that currently).
Why not increase revenues to sorely needed social services that were massively cut in the 2017 budget? Why not increase one-time expenses by increasing the SNAP dollars for our hungry citizens and increase childcare assistance? There is so much need in our state, much from COVID-19, but also, much from budget cuts in the previous administration as well as the current administration.
Republicans will say this is only for one time spending, but why did they make tax cuts permanent? This is all being negotiated now. Contact your legislator and follow the dollars at mtleg.gov. Make sure your voice and needs are heard.
Mary Stranahan
Arlee
