Budget will be major focus for legislature
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As we finish the third week of the legislative session, the pace and intensity has picked up. Lots of bills are being heard, and some of the major issues are starting to move towards the front and center. Budget issues will be the biggest item. Examples of these items are the pension plans, education funding, a pay raise for state employees and the revenue estimate for the next two years.
The pension plan will be tackled by a new joint House-Senate committee. We have heard some education funding issues that are surfacing with gas and oil money and how it flows through the education funding formula. The pay raise for state employees is the main issue that the appropriation committee is tackling right now. This will have a major affect on all the departments in the state government. The revenue estimate for the next two years is the amount that all appropriations will be taken from and we must put forth a budget that is balanced to that number.
Business and labor is always the busiest and most interesting committee. This week we heard bills on a wide variety of topics including: gambling limits, brewing beer, bank mergers and branch bank acquisitions, title loans, outfitter and guiding regulations, drug and alcohol testing, overtime pay, and insurance laws and regulations.
If you have issues that you need information on or have an opinion on, please contact me at dansalomon12@gmail.com or call (406) 253-9724.
