2019-2020 Interim.

The Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) set its workplan for the interim during its meeting on May 29, 2019. The most significant work will center around Montana’s changing economy. As directed in HB 715, the LFC will study the long-term stabilization of state and local finances. Legislators on the committee will learn how Montana’s finances evolved in the last 20 years and look forward 10 years to see where finances may end up.  Members will identify budget pressures, future risks that may cause a ripple effect in the state’s economy, and opportunities to improve government finance. 

Committee members would like fellow legislators to ask questions about the pressures and risks they see and help discover the areas of strengths and weaknesses in Montana’s finances. Legislators not on the committee are asked to send questions to legislative fiscal staff at  slindsay@mt.gov.

The LFC designated four LFC subcommittees to look at the following areas of government in greater detail:

  1. State Information and Technology Division Policy & Results First – Josh Poulette, LFD staff

Members include:  Sen. Keenan; Rep. Caferro; Rep. Peppers; Rep. Ballance; and Rep. Holmlund

  1. Local Government Budget Interactions – Sam Schaefer, LFD staff

Members include:  Rep. Lynch; Rep. Hamilton; Rep. Mercer; and Rep. Dudik

  1. SB 310 & Personal Services Budgeting – Quinn Holzer, LFD staff

Members include:  Sen. Osmundson; Sen. Sesso; Sen. Jacobson; Rep. Ryan; and Rep. Hopkins

  1. Education subcommittee to study HB 633 and HB 657 – Kris Wilkinson, LFD staff

Members include: Sen. Ellis; Sen. Salomon; Rep. Jones; and Rep. Bedey. Rep. Dudik, LFC chair, and Sen. Osmundson, LFC vice chair, sent a letter to legislative leadership requesting that some education subcommittee members be appointed to the education interim committee to promote more communication between policy committees and fiscal committees.

Before the committee adjourned, future meeting dates were set. The committee decided to allow two-day meetings, with the first day for subcommittees and the second for the full committee. The next meeting will be September 16-17, 2019 in Helena.

For more information including audio and video of the meeting, visit the committee website at https://leg.mt.gov/committees/admincom/lfc/.

The Legislative News.