Committee concurs to let Department of Labor deliver HELP Act employment services; fiscal note shows $125,000 annual state special revenue need

Representative Ed Buttrey, sponsor: "I'm representative Ed Butchery. I represent House District 21, which is the North Side Of Great Falls in the community of Black Eagle." Representative Ed Buttrey brought the fiscal-note hearing for House Bill 245 on behalf of the HELP Act workforce provisions, telling the committee the bill would remove the requirement that employment services be contracted to non-state entities and instead let the Montana Department of Labor deliver them directly.

The nut graf: The committee voted to concur on the bill in executive action. The fiscal note projects the department will need an additional $125,000 per year in state special revenue authority to serve increased client caseloads through the agency's 18 job service offices; sponsors and supporters argued the department is better positioned today to provide the services and that keeping fraud-prevention provisions in…