HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A Montana House committee revived and passed a $33 million infrastructure bonding bill on Tuesday, after several Democratic legislators changed their votes because Republican lawmakers supported a separate measure to build a new Montana Historical Society museum.
The infrastructure bill appeared dead on Monday when the House Appropriations Committee voted it down and tabled it. Most of the Democratic legislators opposed the measure because $45 million worth of large building projects had been removed, and a handful of conservative Republican lawmakers opposed putting the state into debt to pay for infrastructure.
But the committee took up the bill again Tuesday and passed it with the help of the Democratic minority members, advancing it to the House floor on an 18-4 vote. It is scheduled for a floor debate and vote on Wednesday, where Democrats will likely try to amend in more projects.
Rep. Kelly McCarthy, D-Billings, said he considers the bill a starting point. He also acknowledged that the committee advancing House Minority Leader Jenny Eck’s historical society museum bill to the floor played a large factor in the changed votes.
“There seemed to be enough support by Republicans to get it to the floor and have that discussion,” McCarthy said.
Eck, D-Helena, voluntarily withdrew the $27 million museum project from consideration for the bonding bill after it appeared likely that Republican opposition to it couldn’t be overcome. Instead, her new bill proposes raising the state lodging tax from 3 percent to 3.5 percent to pay for the new Helena museum and heritage center.
That bill advanced out of the committee on a 14-8 vote immediately after the bonding bill passed. It also will be heard on the House floor on Wednesday.
House Appropriations Chairwoman Rep., Nancy Ballance said she did not strike a deal with the Democrats to pass Eck’s bill if they voted for the bonding bill. “There was no promise,” Ballance said.
Rep. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, the sponsor of the bonding bill, said he was glad the measure is going to the floor. But he is still unsure how many more projects could be added and still receive the 67 of 100 votes needed to pass.
The Senate will consider a parallel infrastructure bonding bill on the floor on Wednesday. The Senate bill includes $98 million worth of projects, many of which were discarded in the House bill.
They include $25 million to renovate Montana State University’s Romney Hall, $10 million for a new veterans’ home in Butte, $5 million for a Great Falls College dental hygiene building addition, and $5.4 million for a Montana State University-Billings science and technology addition.
If both bills pass, the Senate and House will likely meet in a conference committee to negotiate a final infrastructure bonding bill.
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