Legislator provides his views on infrastructure and budget

The first two weeks of the 65th Montana legislative session are now behind us.

As has been the topic pre-session, the battle of the budget is still center stage. We, as a state, find ourselves here because of two reasons; the downturn in revenue from natural resources and continued growth in government spending amidst that revenue downturn, which was caused by a war on coal and the effects of a timber management policy that promotes neglect, causing lumber mill closures here in the Flathead Valley.

With both parties agreeing that revenues are down, the fight becomes how to right the financial ship. Our governor has proposed increases in taxes, i.e. 10 cents a gallon gas tax increase and 6 percent tax on medicine, and cuts in the spending of our Highway Patrol among other questionable cuts and transfers while proposing new government programs.

The Republican controlled Appropriations Committee (the committee in charge of state spending) has been working some long nights, interviewing each department of state government to figure out spending cuts. The resolve of the Republican caucus seems to be to balance the state checkbook without raising taxes. Stay tuned as this will be where the fireworks between the parties happen this session.

Infrastructure was foremost on many Flathead Valley legislators’ campaigns this last season and still has been fought for in the first few weeks of the session. This session, keep an eye on House bill 203, sponsored by Republican Rep. Greg Hertz (Polson), to fund a state match of $14 million deficit in infrastructure funding that would bring in $145 million in matching federal funds for infrastructure. This would get us through the state’s fiscal year (July 1) but more infrastructure money will be needed to fund the next biennium projects.

The real difference in this conversation is the definition of “infrastructure.” The governor has proposed $50 million in “infrastructure” spending on a museum and one state college building remodel. In an environment where many Montanans’ health-care costs have skyrocketed, renaming expensive pet projects “infrastructure” to try to make the spending of your tax dollars more palatable, is wrong.

State government has grown over the past 10 years, adding 1,000 new state employees. We can cut government, fund infrastructure and do it without raising the gas tax or cutting our Highway Patrol.

Don’t accept, as I won’t, that taxes need to be raised to get us out of this financial hole. The state overspent to get us where we are; now is the time to make cuts to get us out.

Matt Regier, a Kalispell Republican, represents House District 4 in Helena.