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Montana committee hears heated debate over SB 307 to reallocate marijuana tax dollars from conservation to prevention and enforcement
Summary
Senate Bill 307 would shift portions of marijuana excise-tax revenue away from Habitat Montana, state parks, trails and nongame wildlife to prevention, treatment and a new marijuana law-enforcement account. Supporters urged funding for youth prevention and enforcement; conservation groups warned the change would strip dedicated, long-standing conservation funding.
Senate Finance and Claims members heard more than three hours of testimony on Senate Bill 307 on a proposal to redirect marijuana excise-tax revenue away from conservation accounts and toward prevention, behavioral-health treatment and law enforcement.
Sponsor Sen. Tom McGillivray, who distributed a side-by-side handout and fiscal-note summary, said SB 307 "seeks to create a nexus between marijuana revenue and marijuana harm" and described changes that would boost the governor's HART prevention account and create a roughly $2.3 million marijuana law-enforcement operations account. McGillivray said current account balances are substantial — he cited a Habitat Montana balance of about $33.7 million, park maintenance with an $11.2 million balance, a trails balance of about $6 million and nongame wildlife with roughly $2 million — and that the bill is intended to channel more funding to prevention and enforcement.
The bill drew polarized public testimony. Colleen Smith, executive director of Youth…
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