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Senate committee advances bill to redistribute marijuana tax revenue with law‑enforcement and behavioral‑health priorities
Summary
The Senate Finance and Claims committee heard sponsor Senator Daniel Zolnikov and proponents on Senate Bill 537, which sets a formula for marijuana tax revenue allocations including a proposed $6 million floor (or 10%) for the heart fund, 31% for DOJ law‑enforcement grants and 14% for behavioral health; the committee voted to recommend passage on a voice vote.
Senator Daniel Zolnikov, sponsor of Senate Bill 537, told the Senate Finance and Claims committee the bill clarifies how Montana would distribute marijuana tax revenue and aims to prevent an unintended cut by setting a $6,000,000 floor (or 10%, whichever is more) for the heart fund. "If I put the amount of $6,000,000, or 10%, whatever is more, then that would fix that dip that was never intended," Zolnikov said during his opening remarks.
The bill allocates specific percentages to several funds and programs: a 31% share to the Department of Justice for law‑enforcement grants (including a $50,000 base grant for each police department, sheriff's office and tribal police department and the remainder distributed per police‑officer per capita), 14% to the Behavioral Health System fund, 6.5% for…
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