Bullocks $157-million infrastructure bill for Montana attracts support

[TexasTowelie]

HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock’s infrastructure plan, which proposes $157 million in bonding, drew broad support on Friday, but some people objected to proposed fund transfers in the bill and some of the details.

House Bill 14, by Rep. Jim Keane, D-Butte, is Bullock’s “Jobs in Montana Act.” It authorizes $157 million in general-obligation bonds for capital projects, including $25 million for renovation of Romney Hall at Montana State University in Bozeman, $27.6 million for a new Montana Historical Society museum building in Helena, and $16.8 million for the Southwestern Montana Veterans’ Home in Butte.

The Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Long-Range Planning will hear more testimony on the bill Monday before taking action. Some Republicans have called for splitting the bill into several measures.

Dan Villa, the Democratic governor’s budget director, urged lawmakers to approve the bill and the bonding. The bill would require approval by two-thirds of the House and Senate because bonding puts the state into debt.

Read more: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/mtleg/bullock-s--million-infrastructure-bill-attracts-support/article_9c2a6632-7fe7-5c1d-a01d-2c1983a128a3.html

[Maru Kitteh]

1. All of those things look like worthwhile projects and would create some jobs. n/t