Montana Public Invited to Comment on Proposed State Budget Cuts

The Legislative Finance Committee wants to hear what the public thinks about proposed cuts to state spending.

Montanans can submit comments until March 1 by e-mailing [email protected]. The committee also will take comments at a public hearing March 4 at 8 a.m. in Room 317 of the State Capitol.

"We have limited time for comments at the meeting," said Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, who chairs the committee, "and we want to make sure everyone gets an adequate chance to give us their feedback before the governor makes his budget decisions. So we want to encourage people to contact us by e-mail."

Individuals should include their name and contact information with their comments, as well as the name of any agency or group they represent. Comments will be provided to legislators and summarized for discussion at the LFC meeting.

The Governor’s Office of Budget and Program Planning (OBPP) has proposed cutting most state programs and services by about 5 percent over the next two years in an effort to maintain a balanced budget, as required by the Montana Constitution. Under state law (17-7-140 MCA), the governor is required to direct state agencies to cut spending by up to 10 percent if the amount of money in the state general fund is projected to fall below a certain level. Further cuts would need to be authorized by the Legislature.

More information about the OBPP budget recommendations is available at http://budget.mt.gov/content/BD_Recommendations_to_Governor.