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House committee tables bill that would cut Montana Supreme Court funding
Summary
A Montana House appropriations committee tabled House Bill 883 after opponents, including the state court administrator and the State Bar, warned a proposed $18 million cut would hamper court services and risk judicial independence.
The Montana House Appropriations Committee on a voice vote tabled House Bill 883, a measure that would reduce funding for the Montana Supreme Court operations by a proposed $18,000,000, a figure the bill sponsor said constitutes roughly 36% of the court’s operations.
The committee’s action came after several opponents warned the cut would degrade court services and threaten judicial independence. Mac Alpin, court administrator for the judicial branch, testified in opposition and said the reduction would “severely cut the budget of the judiciary enough to make us incapable to accomplish the statutes and the constitutional mandate.”
Bruce Spencer, representing the State Bar of Montana, told the committee that the proposed…
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