House approves stimulus spending

HELENA – Last week the House approved a plan to spend millions in federal stimulus dollars, despite attempts from Republican legislators to change or reject the bill. The final vote was 64-35.

Debate on House Bill 645, which appropriates the state's $870 million share of federal stimulus money, lasted over two and a half hours Thursday, most of which was spent debating the merits of particular uses for the funds.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jon Sesso, D-Butte, said the bill was imperfect but as close as Montana would get to getting immediate financial relief.

The bill includes millions for the construction of roads, bridges and buildings as well as money for education and health services. Some of the money would go for city and county public works projects as well.

"For everyone who is disappointed, don't think you're alone," Sesso said. "But I can just tell you that … the elements that are included in this bill are going to do a lot of good work in this state. It's going to help a lot of people."

One amendment that passed would allow cities struck by recent disasters, including Bozeman, Whitehall and Miles City, to use stimulus dollars for debris removal. It passed 90-13.

No other amendments were proposed, but several Republican lawmakers expressed their general disdain for the stimulus package.

"I have a sense that we are presiding over the demise of the American republic," said Rep. Joel Boniek, R-Livingston. "My problem with receiving fed. dollars is that these dollars are fraudulent."

Boniek also told lawmakers they were "posturing" by pretending to know how the bill would affect Montana, something he called a "poorly disguised attempt to give legitimacy" to stimulus money.

HB 645 is scheduled be heard by the Senate Finance and Claims Committee early this week.

Local-option sales tax bill dies in Senate

A bill to give cities the option of implementing local sales taxes died in the Senate Saturday by vote of 13-35.

Senate Bill 506, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings, would have allowed local voters to choose whether to apply a 4 percent sales tax on tourist-centered services, such as prepared food, alcohol served by the drink, lodging, rental cars or recreational machines, and recreational services like sightseeing tours and outfitted trips.

In hearings, supporters said it would provide much needed property-tax relief for Montanans, especially the elderly living on fixed incomes. Opponents said even though the taxes would be aimed at tourists, Montanans and Montana businesses could suffer.

Medical marijuana bill stalls in House committee

A bill to increase the amount of medical marijuana patients may possess, and to expand the list of diseases for which the drug can be prescribed, was stalled Friday on a tie vote in the House Human Services Committee.

Senate Bill 326, which passed the Senate with a vote of 28-22, would increase the legal amount of medical marijuana a patient can possess from 1 ounce to 3 ounces. It would also expand the narrow list of diseases for which the drug can be prescribed to include diabetes, post-traumatic stress disorder, hepatitis C and Alzheimer's, among others.

In hearings, the bill's sponsor, Sen. Ron Erickson, D-Missoula, said he aimed to ease more people's pain and expand access to the drug for those who already have prescriptions.

But critics, including some in law enforcement, said they feared an expansion of users would encourage an expansion of the illegal marijuana market as well. Others said the current amount of available medical marijuana was sufficient.

The bill is probably dead, unless 60 members of the House vote to bring it out of committee for a vote.

Bill for stronger specialty beers wins Senate's OK

The state Senate gave initial approval to a bill that would allow higher alcohol content in certain beers brewed and sold in Montana, passing the measure 40-10.

House Bill 400, carried in the Senate by Sen. John Brueggeman, R-Polson, was approved by the full House in February. The bill would allow brewers in Montana to increase the alcohol content in beers to 14 percent from the current limits of 8.75 percent alcohol by volume.

Brueggeman said the increase would only apply to specialty beers, not the "garbage" beers one could find at a gas station.

"The bill specifically limits it to those beers that are produced with 75 percent malted cereal grain," Brueggeman said, describing the products as "fine craft beers produced by local breweries."

Senate supporters said the change in law would help Montana breweries compete in the national and international beer markets.

But opponents to the bill said it would exacerbate the underage drinking problem in Montana.

"I don't think it's good policy for us to allow that high of percentage of alcohol content of any beer in Montana," said Sen. Carol Juneau, D-Browning. "(Underage drinkers' are going to send in the runners to get this beer and they're going to get drunker faster."

HB 400 needs the governor's signature to become law.