Budget dominates 2017 Legislative Session

The Montana Legislature is responsible for accomplishing a great deal during the 90 days it meets every two years.

But lawmakers are actually only constitutionally required to do one thing - create and pass a state budget.

Last week, the House of Representatives got one step closer to that goal. Fifty-six days into the session, legislators passed House Bill 2, the bill that lays out funding for every major state agency. Lawmakers allocated $10 billion in general fund money to be spent over two years. HB 2 will now move onto the Senate, which will make further amendments to the bill.

It sounds...