HELENA — Gov. Steve Bullock has signed a two-year, $10.3 billion state budget that restored many of the cuts made in 2017 amid a revenue slump.
The spending plan the Democratic governor signed Monday leaves a $210 million surplus in case of unexpected costs or another dip in tax collections.
It also leaves $61 million in a budget stabilization fund that was created to avoid the future revenue crunches.
Income tax and corporate tax collections are up after lawmakers slashed the budget two years ago to close a shortfall that was compounded by the state’s most expensive fire season in history.
Although the state’s economic picture is brighter, the new budget cuts about 100 vacant positions in the state’s largest agency, the Department of Public Health and Human Services.