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HELENA (AP) — Lawmakers in the House are wrestling with a $150 million state infrastructure bill that's keeping them from ending the legislative session.
Representatives defeated Senate Bill 416 twice Saturday morning with a final vote of 60-34 before they agreed to reconsider it again Monday. The bill requires 67 votes to pass because it involves bonding.
Lawmakers have been debating the measure since Thursday when they initially endorsed it on a 70-30 vote. On Friday, several Republicans unsuccessfully tried to alter it to spend only about $51 million, include different projects and scratch others such as a remodel of Montana State University's Romney Hall in Bozeman.
Senate Bill 416 was worked on by a bipartisan group and introduced by Republican Sen. John Brenden of Scobey about a month ago after a nearly $400 million proposal from the governor along with others failed to gain traction. It was amended Thursday to its current form to reflect the latest compromise between Republicans, Democrats and the governor.
Republican Rep. Nancy Ballance of Hamilton, who has voted for and against the bill at different times, said Saturday that she's now against it.
"Yesterday I said I was really torn on this issue, but I'm not anymore," she said. "I never was in favor of a bonding bill of any sort when we had $435 million dollars in the bank when we walked in the door."
Details in Monday's Havre Daily News.
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