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Bill would sweep portion of railcar tax to fund expanded state rail inspections; PSC and rail program argue staffing shortfall
Summary
House Bill 103 would create a statutory special‑revenue appropriation from a portion of the railcar tax to fund expansion of Montana’s railroad inspection program, adding inspectors to address a broad rail network and perceived coverage gaps, agency and railroad program staff told the committee.
A bill introduced in the interim would transfer a portion of Montana’s railcar tax into a statutory special‑revenue account to fund an expanded state railroad inspection program, Public Service Commission and railroad program officials told the appropriations committee on Wednesday, and LFD staff said the revenue available would be a small share of current railcar tax collections.
“The difference this time is the energy and telecommunications interim committee brought a bill to address the problem… House Bill 103 will be heard in House Energy on Wednesday,” Brad Molnar, executive officer of the Montana Public Service Commission, told the committee. The bill’s funding mechanism, as drafted in the version shown to the committee, would sweep 8 percent annually of the railcar tax into a statutory state special revenue account to be used by the PSC for railroad inspections, Molnar said.
Dan Sherwood,…
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