HELENA — The Montana Legislature won’t make any changes to a bill that Gov. Steve Bullock said disproportionately increases spending for the legislative session compared to cuts being considered across the rest of state government.
The House and Senate voted Friday to reject the Democratic governor’s amendatory veto that recommends trimming an additional $1.3 million from the so-called “feed bill,” which pays for legislative session operations.
The bill now goes back to the governor, who can sign it into law, veto it or let it become law without his signature. Bullock spokeswoman Ronja Abel says he is considering his options.
On Thursday, Bullock criticized lawmakers for increasing funding for their own operations by nearly 15 percent while planning deep spending cuts elsewhere to fix the state’s budget shortfall.
Republican lawmakers dismissed Bullock’s actions as political theater.