Analysis shows how much road funding counties could get if SB 442 veto overridden

With the question of whether to override Gov. Greg Gianforte’s veto of Senate Bill 442 now in the hands of lawmakers, a report published this week by a Legislative Services Division research analyst details how most of the state’s counties would stand to get tens, or hundreds, of thousands of dollars to maintain their county roads if the override is successful.

The Montana Supreme Court will have the ultimate say if whether Gianforte’s veto of the broadly supported bill that redistributes the state’s marijuana revenue to send more toward county roads and a legacy conservation program was done properly, since the state has filed a notice of an appeal of a Lewis and Clark County District Court decision.

But if the override poll is successful and the court upholds the lower court opinion saying lawmakers needed the chance to override the veto, the analysis shows how the county roads maintenance portion of more than $50 million in annual marijuana tax revenue will be distributed to all 56 counties, including the ones that don’t allow for recreational marijuana sales.