Montana House District 55 Legislative Update
March 28, 2025
As of Monday evening, March 24th, we have just finished Legislative Day 56.
891 bills and resolutions have been introduced in the House and 630 in the Senate. 863 bills have passed to the second chamber.
House Bill (HB) 2
Over the past week other than afternoon floor sessions, I have been in all day Appropriations Committee hearings to debate each section of HB 2. HB 2 is the general appropriations bill that funds the State of Montana. In accordance with Article VIII, Section 9. Balanced budget, “Appropriations by the LEGISLATURE shall not exceed anticipated revenue”.
The bill is broken down into six sections that are each put together by the associated Appropriations Committee sub-section.
Section A, General Government, oversees the operations and budget of each of the State Executive Agencies like the Governor’s Office, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Revenue, Commerce, Labor & Industry and Military Affairs.
Section B, Public Health & Human Services, oversees the Department of Public Health & Human Services and Medicaid provider rates.
Section C, Natural Resources & Transportation, oversees Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, Department of Environmental Quality, Transportation, Livestock, Natural Resources & Conservation, and Agriculture.
Section D, Public Safety, oversees the Judicial Branch, Department of Justice, the Public Service Commission, Office of Public Defender, and the Corrections.
Section E, Education & K-12, oversees the Office of Public Instruction, Board of Public Education, Commissioner of Higher Education, School of the Deaf & Blind, Arts Council, State Library and the Historical Society.
Section F, Long Range Planning, oversees programs. Those include Long-Range Building, Energy Conservation, Information Technology, Coal Endowment, Regional Water, Renewable Resources Grants & Loans, Reclamation & Development Grants, and the Historical Preservation Grants Program.
The revenue (funding) for most State expenditures comes from three primary sources: the general fund with revenue from state income taxes, state special revenue from fees, and federal funds. The State also levies 95 property tax mills for the K-12 education funding model and 6 mills to fund the Montana University System. I will provide more detail on the amounts in subsequent updates.
Study Bills
I will introduce several study bills over the next week for consideration by Legislative committees during the interim. One will propose a study of homeowner fire insurance competition & pricing and cyber insurance costs for businesses and public entities. Another will propose a school safety study. A third would study the potential for regional detention and correction facilities to more effectively address unmet State and local requirements. We currently send up to 600 inmates out of the State for incarceration and don’t have the ability to detain anyone arrested by local law enforcement without typically transporting them to Bozeman because Yellowstone County facilities are overcrowded.
Please email, text or call with any questions or feedback. I am honored to serve you and remain committed to continuing to earn your trust.
By Representative Brad Barker (Montana House District 55)