Budget bill off to great start
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During the previous week, the Montana House stunned observers by endorsing HB 2 (the state budget) on a vote of 100-0 with no amendments. The $9 billion bill sets state spending for most state agencies, public schools and the university system over the next two years. HB 2 does not include other major budget items such as the state pay plan, building projects, tax cuts or monies dealing with booming oil and gas developments along the Montana-North Dakota border. This unanimous vote on the state budget bill was truly historic. We saved two days of debate that probably would have made little difference other than provide the press with some quotes.
Speaker Mark Blasdel (R-Somers) released the following statement: “This is exactly the kind of session we’ve been striving for from the beginning: More work and less politics. Neither side wants to waste people’s time with speeches and bickering. We respect the work of the appropriations committee. If you add all funds, right now the budget is less than 2 percent over last biennium, which is less than the rate of inflation. Members of the appropriations committee – from both parties – did good work. Bipartisan cooperation doesn’t mean agreeing on everything. It means a focus on results, rather than on scoring points. That’s what we’ve done today. More work, less politics.”
HB 2 is off to the Senate to continue the work for the people of Montana. The process is far from being complete but off to a great start.
We have just begun debating major bills related to fixing the state employee pension plans. The last numbers provided to us had these pension plans under-funded by $4 billion. I will be looking to make sure that any changes the legislature makes will result in major reductions to these unfunded liabilities. However, this will be a work in process and will take several sessions to correct a problem of this size.
If you have any input about specific bills, please don’t hesitate to contact me by email at greghertz11@gmail.com or call or text me at (406) 253-9505. You can also leave messages for individual legislators or committees by calling (406) 444-4800. For more information on Montana’s 63rd legislative session, visit the legislature’s website at www.leg.mt.gov.
