Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Prioritization topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sponsor asks to table bill seeking committee oversight of MDT prioritization; department offers education instead
Summary
Representative Zach Wirth, sponsor of House Bill 172, acknowledged flaws in the bill that would have required committee involvement in MDT project prioritization and asked the committee to table it; Montana DOT staff offered to provide training on how project nominations and budgeting work.
Representative Zach Wirth opened House Bill 172 but said he had picked up the wrong bill and that the measure—intended to probe how the Department of Transportation prioritizes projects—would improperly interfere with MDT’s statutory role. He told the committee he planned to seek tabling of the bill.
Montana Department of Transportation Deputy Director Larry Flynn and other MDT staff offered informational assistance, proposing to brief the committee on the department’s nomination and prioritization process and budget context. David Smith, executive director of the Montana Contractors Association, attended as an informational witness and declined further comment.
Committee members agreed to table House Bill 172 during executive action. The committee also requested that MDT provide an educational briefing on prioritization methodology and budgetary constraints so members can better understand how projects are nominated, scored and funded.
Ending: The committee tabled HB172 and asked MDT staff to return with an overview of prioritization and budgetary processes to inform future legislative work.
