Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Subcommittee backs trooper pay raise and maintenance authority; DOJ seeks flexibility for academy repairs and radio payoff
Summary
The House Appropriations Committee Section D kept a 14% pay increase for Montana Highway Patrol troopers in its HB2 recommendation and granted DOJ additional spending authority for academy maintenance and to pay off radio‑system loans, while moving the funding source to the general fund subject to amendment.
The House Appropriations Committee’s Section D subcommittee endorsed a major pay increase for the Montana Highway Patrol, supported additional spending authority for the Montana Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA) and the Motor Vehicle Division’s new computer system, and approved debt payoff authority tied to the statewide radio build (phase 1). Department of Justice (DOJ) officials told the committee the trooper pay raise is intended to stop ongoing losses in patrol staffing and to make entry pay more competitive with county and municipal law enforcement.
The DOJ’s top official told the committee the highway patrol was “hemorrhaging” troopers six months ago and that the department requested a 14% increase (the executive request) to reach parity with competing agencies; the subcommittee left the 14% raise in HB2 but moved the funding source to…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
