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Appropriations committee lowers planned highway patrol salary increase to 9% after market review
Summary
Committee amended HB2 to reduce a proposed 14% highway patrol entry pay increase to 9%, citing market data and county entry pay adjustments; the amendment passed narrowly and will affect how the salary survey is funded in the bill.
The House Appropriations Committee voted to adjust the salary‑survey increase for the Montana Highway Patrol from a proposed 14% to 9%, moving the entry-level pay for troopers closer to market data from municipal police departments.
Vice Chair Mercer offered a global amendment that replaced the 14% increase with a 9% increase after staff calculated the cost differences. Mercer said Yellowstone County’s recent entry-level increase effectively raised market pay by roughly 8.5%, and a 9% increase for the patrol would put the state roughly at market in most communities without topping every local agency’s pay. Committee staff presented updated fiscal figures showing the 9% alternative increased baseline compensation to an entry-level pay of about $73,231 for highway patrol positions; the fiscal change was incorporated into the HB2 amendment insert lines.
Representative Matthews, among others, opposed lowering the increase, arguing the highway patrol has been behind for years and a larger adjustment is warranted. Representative Mercer and several sponsors said the 9% change is a defensible compromise that avoids an outsized increase that could cascade to higher municipal and county pay scales.
The amendment passed on a roll-call vote of 12 yes to 11 no. Committee staff said companion language was being adjusted to ensure coordination with state special revenue proposals and any related bills.
Ending: The committee included the 9% increase in the amended HB2 and moved forward with other Section D items.
