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Senate adopts 1:1 match amendment and concurs with HB 313 to fund local facility grants
Summary
Senators concurred with House Bill 313 after adopting an amendment requiring a 1:1 local match for grants; sponsor Representative Paul Tuss said funding was moved to a one-time Capital Development Account transfer and an administrative fee was removed from the fiscal note.
Representative Paul Tuss (House District 27) opened on House Bill 313, telling senators the fiscal note had two key changes: funding would be provided as a one-time transfer from the Capital Development Account rather than the general fund, and a previously proposed 3% administrative fee to the Department of Commerce was removed. He described the program as one-time funding for community facility improvements and recommended the committee concur.
Proponents, including Erica Johnston (Montana YMCA), Jennifer Olson (Montana League of Cities and Towns) and Mandy Rambo (Department of Commerce acting director), described how the grant program would enable communities to repair aging facilities and leverage local matching funds to access up to $500,000 for projects.
Senator Stern proposed an amendment to require a 1:1 local match for grants under the program. Representative Tuss described the amendment as "friendly" and said it would stretch dollars while cautioning that very small purchases could be burdensome for small volunteer departments. Debate included concerns that some communities do not prioritize fundraising and others emphasized public-health and equity benefits from pools and facilities. A roll-call recorded 12 yes and 10 no; HB 313 was concurred in as amended.
The committee moved on to the next item after concurrence.
