Yellowstone Public Radio
Montana lawmakers postponed floor sessions Apr. 16, 2021 to allow time for contact tracing after a lobbyist tested positive for COVID-19 the day prior.
The Montana Legislature will again not hold floor sessions Monday, which will not count as an official legislative day, after a lobbyist tested positive for COVID-19 last Thursday.
Senate GOP spokesperson Kyle Schmauch said late Friday eighteen people, including nine legislators, seven staff and two others, had received negative results through the Legislature’s testing program, and that contact tracing is ongoing.
Committees Monday may meet virtually and accept remote comment only.
Schmuach says legislators will participate virtually unless they have “internet issues, tech problems, or other extenuating circumstances.”
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Montana Senate Advances State Budget With Few Changes
The Montana Senate has endorsed a $12 billion spending package to guide the state budget over the next two years.
Sen. Ryan Osmundson, Republican chair of the Senate Finance and Claims Committee, says the budget proposal would increase state spending, but it remains a conservative budget.
The proposal would increase state spending by 3.6% over the last two year budget, without adjusting for inflation. The Senate endorsed it on a 33-17 vote with both bipartisan support and opposition.
The Senate made few amendments to the spending plan before sending it back to the House. Lawmakers added reporting requirements for funding for the Department of Public Health and Human Services and cut about $500,000 from the Department of Revenue’s budget.