Budget Bill Struggles

Seven of the eight Republican budget bills have passed out of the House and onto the Senate. But enough votes for the proposed funding of Health and Human Services struggles.

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HELENA - Seven of the eight Republican budget bills have passed out of the House and onto the Senate. But representatives are struggling to find enough votes for the proposed funding of Health and Human Services. House Bill 808, to fund Public Health and Human Services, is the only budget bill failing to get a majority vote to move on to the Senate. Democrats refuse to support it based on their overall disapproval of the GOP-led budget process and the most fiscal conservative of Republicans refuse to vote along party lines saying that it includes too much of taxpayers' dollars. The bill's new sponsor, Representative Penny Morgan, (R) Billings, proposes to restore funding to $28-Million more than the governor's plan in an attempt to gain Democratic support. Representative Scott Mendenhall, (R) Clancy, supported a vote for the bill saying, "This is a vote where we will vote to either turn away all of the people and the programs that are represented by this amendment, or we will vote in favor of them. That's what it really comes down to." Representative Roger Koopman, (R) Bozeman, disagreed. "Yes, we see the faces of the so-called beneficiaries of all the government programs funded in this bill, House Bill 808. They are very visible and we often hear from these people. But the face of freedom is not se easily seen." Koopman opposed his party's bill saying the increases spend too much of taxpayer dollars and take opportunities from those who are not receiving care from these programs. The future of House Bill 808 is unclear. A motion to reconsider the bill at a later time passed by one vote. It may be passed back to the House Appropriations committee for further changes in an attempt to earn more support.