Update from Rep. Pat Ingraham

This week our Standing Committees saw few bills as our primary focus was House Bill (HB) 2, the General Appropriations Act Bill which funds the basic operations of the state for the next two years, beginning July 1, 2013 and ending on June 30, 2015.
HB 2 came out of the House Appropriations Committee this week, after that committee reviewed the work done by the Joint Appropriations, Finance & Claims Subcommittees for Education, General Government, Health and Human Services, Judicial Branch, Law Enforcement and Justice, Long-Range Planning, Natural Resources and Transportation. Those subcommittees have listened to hundreds of people and departments explaining, supporting and opposing programs as well as requesting funding of programs and departments. All that data is used to compile HB 2.
Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20, beginning at 8:00 a.m., was dedicated to hearing HB 2 on the House Floor, and in each session, the work of the subcommittees was heard individually and without time restraints as is the case in other legislation that is presented on the floor.
The General Government portion of HB 2 covers the following State agencies: the Legislative Branch, which includes the Legislative Audit Division, Legislative Fiscal Division and the Legislative Services Division; Consumer Council; Governor’s Office; Secretary of State; Commissioner of Political Practices; State Auditor; Revenue Department; Administration Department; Department of Commerce; Labor & Industry; and, Military Affairs. A couple of highlights mentioned in this portion of HB 2 which I’d like to mentions are: one found in the Commissioner of Political Practices which will provide for an in house legal counsel that should help address some delays in processing complaints; and, one in the Department of Military Affairs which provides for a second site for STARBASE at Gore Hill in Great Falls. The STARBASE program offers a positive, proven approach for creating excitement and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and is focused on fifth grade students.
The Health and Human Services portion of HB 2 includes the following divisions: Economic Security Services Branch (weatherization, TANF, SNAP, foster care, etc. programs/services); Directors Office, Operations Services Branch (quality assurance division, recovery audit contractor program); Public Health ( programs such as the tobacco use program, poison control hot line, heart disease and diabetes prevention program); and, the Medicaid and Health Services Branch (programs/services such as Healthy Montana Kids, Big Sky RX, mental health services, Aging Services, and Veterans nursing homes). One highlight for our Veterans I’d like to mention is that money was appropriated in this budget was for a state liaison for the Southwest Montana Veteran’s Home in Butte. The Butte facility is scheduled to begin work in 2013 and is expected to be finished in June 2014.
The Natural Resources and Transportation portion of HB 2 includes the State Departments of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Environmental Quality, Transportation, Livestock, Natural Resources and Conservation and Agriculture. Several highlights worth mentioning are: in Fish, Wildlife & Parks the funding for the wolf management program and the continued funding for aquatic invasive species detection and containment activities; and, in the Department of Agriculture funding for the continuation of activities related to Eurasian Water milfoil, which impact counties such as ours.
The Judicial Branch, Law Enforcement and Justice agencies that are covered in HB 2 include: the Judicial Branch, Montana Board of Crime Control, Justice, Public Service Regulation, and Office of the Public Defender and that of Corrections. In the Department of Corrections there is funding for housing inmates at the Montana Mental Health Nursing Care Center in Lewistown. In the Department of Justice, we’ve included funding for five additional highway patrol officers while in the Public Defender’s Office there is funding for eight (8) additional attorneys.
The Education portion of HB 2, includes the Office of Public Instruction, Board of Public Instruction, School for the Deaf and Blind, Montana Arts Council, State Library Commission, Montana Historical Society, Montana University System (MUS), Commissioner of Higher Education, Community Colleges, University Units & Colleges of Technology, Agricultural Experiment Station, Montana Extension Service, Forestry & Conservation Experiment Station, Bureau of Mines & Geology and Fire Services Training School. There are one time only money which supports the Local Government Center at the Montana State University, a service which is and has been a valuable resource to our local governments, especially our cities, towns and counties.
While this is only a small sampling of a very large General Budget Appropriation, you can see why the subcommittees have labored long and hard and why two full days were dedicated to go through the budget in its entirety. For more detailed information regarding this massive bill, you can go to our legislative website at www.leg.mt.gov to scan it at your leisure, as it still is a moving target (so to speak) as the Senate now has the opportunity to add and/or delete those things they feel need tweaking, or inclusion. Of note, such as the pension plan and school funding are not included in HB 2 as of now.
I can be reached during the session by leaving a message for me at (406) 444-4800, by e-mailing me at pathd13@blackfoot.net, or by visiting the legislative branch website at www.leg.mt.gov and clicking the Contact a Legislator link. Instructions are provided for sending me electronic messages. You also may mail your comments to me at Representative Pat Ingraham, Capitol Building, P.O. Box 200400, Helena, MT 59620-0400.