Appropriations subcommittee advances four House bills, approves park, remediation and campus authorities

The Appropriations Subcommittee F of the Montana Legislature on a voice and roll-call series of votes advanced four House bills — HB 10, HB 11, HB 5 (as amended) and HB 12 — by unanimous recorded votes of 7-0.

The measures moved in executive action on the committee’s docket included a small technical amendment to HB 10 adding Flathead Valley Community College to a community-college appropriation; a pair of deletions in HB 11 after applicants withdrew or failed to appear; multiple amendments to HB 5 that add remediation and capital authorities; and a committee-amended HB 12 that narrows historic-preservation funding priorities.

The committee’s action matters because it determines which projects the Legislature will forward to the full Appropriations Committee and, eventually, to the full House and Senate for final consideration of funding or spending authority. The votes set funding priorities for community colleges, state park development, environmental remediation and capital projects at the Montana University System.

House Bill 10 A committee member moved a do-pass motion on House Bill 10 and also moved a single, limited amendment that adds Flathead Valley Community College to a project appropriation. The amendment passed and the bill passed committee by roll call, 7-0.

House Bill 11 The sponsor moved a do-pass on HB 11 and presented an amendment package that removed one project for a county water-sewer district and removed a Petroleum County project after the applicant withdrew or did not appear. The committee took a roll-call vote on the amendment and then on the bill; both the amendment and the bill passed 7-0.

House Bill 5 (multiple amendments) The committee considered several amendments to HB 5 and approved six amendments before passing the bill as amended, 7-0. Major items added or changed in HB 5 as amended include: - A $2,000,000 general-fund appropriation to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for remediation of leaking petroleum tanks at “legacy” sites where there is no liable party. Representative Tuss moved this amendment and described the funding as identical in language and amount to a 2021 appropriation; the committee noted roughly 200 legacy sites exist and that a prior $2,000,000 appropriation from 2021 has addressed about 70 sites through the end of that fiscal year. The amendment passed 7-0. - Increased authority for development of the newly donated Judith Landing State Park (PN Ranch property). The amendment raises the project authority from about $424,000 to $2,633,680, with the Montana State Park Foundation committed to a $500,000 private contribution. The sponsor said the increased authority would come from state parks’ earmarked revenue (park-generated revenue restricted for park use). The committee voted to approve the amendment 7-0; members discussed and supported adding a targeted weed-control provision as a conceptual amendment to be drafted later. - An authority-only appropriation of $50,000,000 for campus expansion and upgrades at Montana Tech, placed in the bill in consultation with the Montana University System. Committee members emphasized this is spending authority only; the amendment contains no state cash, special revenue or federal funds and leaves it to the institution and university system to secure actual financing. The amendment passed 7-0. - A reappropriation of approximately $12.5 million that had been authorized in a prior session’s House Bill 856 for legislative space; committee members said this is not new money but a reauthorization of funds previously appropriated. That amendment passed 7-0.

House Bill 12 Committee members described HB 12 as a competitive list of historic-preservation and capital projects. The bill originally contained roughly 62 project requests totaling about $23 million; the committee said it had approximately $6 million to allocate. The committee adopted criteria prioritizing work to preserve the building envelope (roof, walls, doors and windows, foundation and core utilities) and excluding projects that primarily delivered private benefit (for example, projects where benefits to private businesses were the main use). The committee also disqualified projects that had received funding in February 2023; that change affected eight or nine projects, several of which had been recommended by the Department of Commerce. The committee voted on its amendment package and then passed HB 12 as amended by roll call, 7-0.

Votes at a glance - HB 10 (as amended): Passed committee, roll-call vote 7-0. Amendment added Flathead Valley Community College to a community-college project. - HB 11 (as amended): Passed committee, roll-call vote 7-0. Amendments removed one county water-sewer district project (applicant did not appear) and removed a Petroleum County project (applicant withdrew). - HB 5 (as amended six times): Passed committee, roll-call vote 7-0. Notable amendments: $2,000,000 to DEQ for leaking petroleum tank legacy-site remediation (no liable entity required); increase in state parks authority for Judith Landing State Park to $2,633,680 with a $500,000 private match; $50,000,000 authority-only for Montana Tech campus expansion; reappropriation of ~ $12.5 million from prior HB 856. - HB 12 (as amended): Passed committee, roll-call vote 7-0. Committee narrowed funding criteria to prioritize structural-preservation work and to avoid repeat recipients and primarily private-benefit projects.

Committee discussion and next steps Committee members and staff repeatedly described the process as collaborative and data-driven; the chair and members thanked staff from the Legislative Fiscal Division and the budget office for providing timely information. Several members asked staff to draft language on weed control tied to the Judith Landing project for consideration as the bill moves to full appropriations. Multiple sponsors encouraged applicants who were removed from lists to appear before full Appropriations or Finance and Claims if they wished to seek funding again.

Adjournment With HB 12 passed, the chair declared the subcommittee’s executive action complete and thanked members and staff; members offered brief remarks praising staff and committee deliberations. The committee adjourned with the four bills advanced to the next stage of the legislative process.