HELENA — A legislative committee has voted down an increase in special education funding that had already won a floor vote in the Montana House.
The measure by Democratic Rep. Kathy Kelker of Billings would cost $6 million over the next two years. The increase would cover the cost of inflation and raise reimbursements for the cooperatives that serve more than a third of special education students in Montana.
The bill was recommended by an interim committee that studied the equity and adequacy of school funding. It passed unanimously out of the House Education Committee and was endorsed without debate by the House Wednesday on a 63-37 vote.
Instead of going to a final vote on the House floor, the bill was re-referred to the House Appropriations Committee.
The committee voted 12-10 against the bill Thursday without any discussion.