Montana bill would seed a 'Go Trust' with volatile revenue to fund water, bridges, pensions and housing

HELENA — Representative Lou Jones introduced House Bill 924 on behalf of the House Appropriations Committee, proposing the Montana Growth and Opportunity Trust, or “Go Trust,” to capture large swings in state revenue and direct interest earnings to several standing priorities.

Jones said the bill “begins with approximately 600,000,000” and showed committee members a handout projecting growth to about $1.8 billion by 2029 if forecasted returns hold. “It’s called the Montana Growth and Opportunity Trust, the Go Trust,” Jones said in opening remarks.

The bill would deposit an initial block of one-time transfers and then, starting in later years, move a defined portion of what the bill calls “volatile” or “risky” revenue into the trust. The sponsor and the legislative fiscal analyst described the proposal as splitting future interest earnings: half is reinvested and half distributed as annual interest to a set of state special funds for uses the bill lists, such as water projects, bridge repair, housing, pension stabilization, tax relief and early-childhood supports.

Why it matters: supporters said the structure is intended to avoid spending large, irregular gains on ongoing programs and to create a predictable stream of interest for targeted…