| Schweitzer unveiled the details for his proposal on how to spend the state's stimulus money yesterday. Dennison's summary of the proposed expenditures seem pretty reasonable to me; most of it is one-time spending expenditures, some of it crucial maintenance projects that will return value for the investment, such as weatherization of low-income homes, energy conservation projects for state buildings, and highway construction.
Again, don't forget about the website the Good Guv's office put up to track stimulus spending: Montana Reinvestment Act. I believe this pdf -- "ARRA allocation" -- is a detailed list of the proposed expenditure, and HB 645 (pdf) is the House bill that would enact the spending proposals.
Shall we guess what House Republicans will object to? I'm betting they'll look to excise anything to do with poor kids -- like lunch program or nutrition assistance, food stamps, etc. I mean, that's been the M.O. for these folks this session, right?
By the way, if you want some hilarious reading, check out Dave Lewis' avowed "reluctance" to spend the federal stimulus money. Wouldn't that have been funny if Lewis had actually tried to block this spending package? And hasn't Dave Lewis become the Mike Lange of the 2009 legislature? Whenever I think of the GOP's efforts to block a mandate supported by 70 percent of Montanans to extend health care coverage to uninsured children, I'll think of Dave.... |
