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House approves operating "feed" bill including legal-defense appropriation after amendment fails
Summary
The Montana House voted to advance House Bill 1, the Legislature's operating "feed" bill, after rejecting an amendment that would have removed a line-item to cover legal defense costs tied to a court order dispute over legislative "junk files."
HELENA ' The Montana House of Representatives voted Friday to advance House Bill 1, the Legislature's operating appropriation known as the "feed" bill, after rejecting an amendment that would have removed a legal-defense appropriation tied to a court dispute over legislative privilege.
House Bill 1, introduced by Representative Jones, funds the day-to-day operations of the legislature, including member salaries, per diem, staff pay, audiovisual and printing costs and startup expenses for the next session. Representative Jones described the measure as "the feed bill" and said it covers the remaining days of this session and the start of the next.
The bill drew focused debate over a line item to pay legal-defense costs arising from a court order and a subsequent lawsuit about whether certain legislative communications are privileged.…
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