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House committee hears broad testimony on bill to study federal cuts; LFC-led measure fails and is tabled
Summary
Lawmakers heard extensive testimony on HB 879, a bill directing the Legislative Finance Committee to study how recent federal executive actions and funding shifts would affect Montana; proponents cited threats to health care, forests, tribal services and university research. The committee later voted to table the measure after a roll-call defeat.
Representative Ed Staffman opened the House State Administration hearing on House Bill 879, describing it as an interim study resolution to assess the impact of recent federal executive actions on Montana and to give the state data to respond. He said the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) would lead the study and could farm work to interim committees or hire outside economic researchers if needed.
Staffman told the committee he had prepared a multi-section notebook documenting potential impacts, and said Montana — where 43% of the state budget comes from federal funds — faces substantial exposure. "We can either act on it or we could choose to ignore it at our peril," he said, urging the…
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