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Sponsor seeks to direct excess lottery revenue to school flexibility funds
Summary
Rep. Matthews introduced House Bill 3 73 to create a special revenue account directing unspent Montana Lottery funds to education via the quality educator payment and local district flexibility funds; proponents argued it restores voters' original intent and opponents did not appear at the hearing.
Representative Matthews presented House Bill 3 73, which would create a special revenue account to direct excess Montana Lottery receipts to public education by routing funds to the Office of Public Instruction for distribution through the quality educator payment and district flexibility funds.
Matthews said the original 1986 voter referendum approved the lottery to support schools; she said legislative transfers to the general fund over time have left only a modest STEM carve‑out for education and that the bill would return remaining net lottery receipts (after prizes and administration) to schools. She described the funding as intended for district flexibility — not a per‑pupil formula — to address varied local needs.
Proponents included Senator Matt Regier, Rebecca Myers of the Billings Area Chamber of Commerce and Amanda Curtis of the Montana Federation of Public Employees; Myers said the bill would provide another option for education funding and Curtis described the bill as supportive of public education. No opponents or informational witnesses offered testimony at the hearing.
Representative Matthews closed the hearing and urged committee members to advance the bill so the Legislature could include it in end‑of‑session budget negotiations.
Ending: The committee closed the hearing on House Bill 3 73 after proponent testimony and no opponents; the bill remained at committee stage for further action.
