HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The Latest on Gov. Steve Bullock’s State of the State Address (all times local):
8:25 p.m.
Montana House Speaker Austin Knudsen says the state is in both a budget crisis and a management crisis thanks to Gov. Steve Bullock.
Knudsen delivered the Republicans’ response to the Democratic governor’s State of the State address Tuesday night to a cheering crowd of GOP legislators and supporters.
The Culbertson Republican says Bullock could have eased the budget crunch by taking measures this summer but campaigned for re-election instead.
He called on the governor to lay out a long-term plan for the state instead of proposing additional spending and higher taxes.
He says Republican legislative leaders will get the state’s finances in order and that he hopes Bullock will uphold his pledge to work with them.
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7 p.m.
Gov. Steve Bullock is appealing to lawmakers’ sense of fairness as they work balance the state budget.
The Democratic governor delivered his third State of the State address to the Legislature on Tuesday.
He asked lawmakers who are considering spending cuts to continue to fund mental health services and programs to protect vulnerable children and the elderly.
He also invoked what he called their shared values as he pushed them to pass initiatives such as a $292 million public works package.
Republican legislative leaders have said a budget shortfall will restrict the passage of new initiatives this session.
Bullock told lawmakers not to send him bills that would transfer public lands and warned that climate change and consumer demand is changing energy production in the state.
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12:45
Gov. Steve Bullock is set to give his third State of the State address to a combative Republican-led Legislature in a shaky economic time for Montana.
The Democratic governor is expected to highlight his budget plan that calls for funding public works projects across the state, promoting early childhood education and increasing worker training programs.
Republican House and Senate leaders held a news conference before Bullock’s address Tuesday. They criticized the governor for not having a long-term plan for the state.
GOP leaders and the governor’s office are debating the best way to fix the state’s budget shortfall and replenish its cash reserves. The state is spending more money than it is taking in after tax collections fell last year with a decline in energy production.
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