Save Montana highway jobs

Shortly before Christmas, men and women across Montana were notified that the road construction projects they were depending on to put presents under the tree this year would be canceled. The jobs they were depending on to provide for their families in 2017 would be lost. The construction of critical state highway projects would be delayed or defunded altogether. Our highway fund is facing an unprecedented budget shortfall, and unfortunately it’s just one small part of the budget crisis that Gov. Steve Bullock handed the 65th Legislature on day one.

The timing of Gov. Bullock’s announcement was not insignificant. While he was running a re-election campaign on job creation, infrastructure and sound fiscal management, he buried a looming crisis facing Montana workers, families and businesses.

Then, just weeks after winning his re-election campaign, the Montana Department of Transportation announced a severe budget shortfall that would delay or even cancel $144.5 million of highway projects across the state. It’s also notable that this announcement came around the same time that DOT Director Mike Tooley assured his employees via email that his commitment to them remains a top priority, citing a multi-year trend of increasing hiring and assuring that pay raises and career advancement would remain intact.  

Meanwhile, they cut 30 approved highway infrastructure improvement projects that it had previous knowledge of. To complete these projects, Montana needs to supply $14.5 million to leverage a matching federal grant of $130 million.

Montana can choose to leverage these federal funds or sit back and watch the money flow back to Washington, D.C., only to be transferred to other states to build their highways.

Action must be taken swiftly to move my bill — House Bill 203 — to save these projects and the thousands of jobs that they create for the men and women who keep our highways safe.

Our Republican caucus is working hard to create more opportunities for all Montanans, with a focus on a long-term commitment to funding critical infrastructure projects across our state. By leveraging scarce state resources with matching federal funds, we can ensure that these important projects are completed and thousands of people can continue working in Montana.

It’s no easy task finding $14.5 million in our state’s budget, but Republicans in the state Legislature are committed to making sure that we don’t lose these federal matching funds while our infrastructure needs pile up.

It is my hope that this bill moves swiftly through the Legislature, on to the governor’s desk and is signed into law. I encourage the people of Montana to contact the governor and urge him to support these critical infrastructure projects across our state and the thousands of jobs they support.

Rep. Greg Hertz, R-Polson

Speaker pro tem of the House