Bill calls for health department staff cuts, tuition freeze

As the Montana House Appropriations Committee opened public testimony last week on the bill that sets the budget for state agencies, one of the most controversial proposals to emerge is the elimination of more than 100 full-time equivalent jobs from the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Health Department Director Sheila Hogan said the cuts will especially hurt rural areas where it's difficult to find qualified people to do skill-intensive jobs...