2001 Montana Legislature

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5

INTRODUCED BY J. HURDLE



A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA URGING CONGRESS TO REDISTRIBUTE FEDERAL MONEY FROM THE MILITARY BUDGET TO THE STATES TO MEET INCREASED DOMESTIC NEEDS.



     WHEREAS, although the Legislature believes that the United States should retain its position as the strongest military nation in the world, the Legislature also believes that the security of our nation is not fundamentally based on military might, but on the well-being and vitality of our citizens; and

     WHEREAS, increased responsibility for programs that sustain and improve the health, education, and safety of citizens and that provide affordable housing and environmental protection is being transferred from the federal government to the state governments; and

     WHEREAS, the funds being provided by the federal government to the states are insufficient to fulfill these responsibilities; and

     WHEREAS, the seven countries currently identified as our potential adversaries have a combined military budget of $15 billion, while the U.S. military budget for 2000 was $289.4 billion; and

     WHEREAS, the U.S. military budget remains at Cold War levels and contains $3.3 billion not requested by the Pentagon, $35 billion for 10,000 nuclear weapons and their delivery systems, and $40 billion in excess of what many former military leaders and leading business executives consider sufficient; and

     WHEREAS, current Pentagon spending outweighs all military threats and creates fewer jobs than increased spending on domestic programs would deliver; and

     WHEREAS, shifting funds from the military to repairing infrastructure would dramatically improve the well-being of citizens and strengthen the country's ability to compete successfully in the world market.



NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

     That sufficient amounts of money be redirected from the United States military budget to the several states so that the states can meet the critical needs of rebuilding their communities and inner cities, repairing schools, educating children, obtaining a decent level of health care and safety for all citizens, eliminating hunger, providing housing, improving transportation, and protecting the environment, thereby increasing fundamentally our security and well-being.

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be forwarded by the Secretary of State to the President of the United States, to our congressional delegation, to the governing bodies of our county governments, and to the legislative leaders of all 50 states.

- END -




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