MTPR

state budget

Montana Lawmakers Plan Tax Policy Review

By • May 22, 2019
House Bill 300, introduced in the 2019 Montana Legislative session, called for a 2.5 percent sales tax and the elimination of certain property taxes.
Corin Cates-Carney / Montana Public Radio

Montana lawmakers will take a comprehensive look at state and local tax policy over the next two years. Legislators say a changing economy and increasing population means Montana should consider new ways of collecting taxes.

Legislature Ends With Action On Controversial Policies

By • Apr 25, 2019
Montana Capitol in Helena.
William Marcus / Montana Public Radio

Controversial policy was decided in the waning hours of the 2019 Montana legislative session Thursday. The final acts of the Legislature included funding for a new state history museum, and raising fees on brokers and investment advisors.

Legislative Leaders Pleased And Peeved As 2019 Session Ends

By • Apr 25, 2019
The House chamber at the Montana Legislature.
Nick Mott / Montana Public Radio

The Montana Legislature adjourned Thursday, sending a $10 billion state budget to Gov. Steve Bullock’s desk. Republican and Democratic leaders say their parties each picked up political wins and loses.

The two Republican Majority leaders in the House and Senate struck different tones in their final messages of the 2019 legislative session.

Montana Legislature Rejects State Funding For Preschool

By • Apr 25, 2019
Montana remains among only a few states in the country without publicly funded pre-K.
iStock


A Montana legislative committee rejected efforts to include funding for preschool in the state budget over the next two years. That, and another vote, effectively ended the state's preschool pilot program that lawmakers passed in 2017.

Lawmakers Look To Advance Colstrip, Preschool Bills In Session's Final Days

By • Apr 24, 2019
Montana State Capitol.
William Marcus / Montana Public Radio

The Montana Legislature is in a holding pattern entering the final days of the session as behind the scenes deals are being worked out in rooms at the state Capitol.

Lawmakers are attempting to advance politically contentious policies over preschool funding and the  future of Colstrip as time in the 2019 legislative session runs out.

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