Senate injects money into budget bill
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By Michael Wright
Community News Service
UM School of Journalism
HELENA — A Montana Senate panel put about $50 million into the state budget bill last week, after Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock said the budget crafted by House Republicans was unacceptable.
The panel added about $25 million in amendments to House Bill 2, the $4 billion state general fund budget for the next two years. The amendments injected some of the money the governor asked for in his budget proposal.
The committee also added another $25 million in what’s known as a supplemental appropriation, which covers some debts for the remainder of this fiscal year. That money would have been included in another bill, House Bill 3, but the House killed that bill last month.
After that bill was killed, furlough notices were sent out to some state employees and schools were told they would have budget shortfalls.
Dan Villa, the governor’s budget director, said the governor and Senate members made a deal on the budget to include the supplemental appropriations, and that some of the state agencies that faced a shortfall could “breathe a sigh of relief.”
House Bill 2 moves on to the full Senate next.
