As Session Ends, Senators Debate Spending

The Montana Senate has amended and advanced a draft of the state’s two-year budget, with some disappointed Republicans saying “the cake was already baked” and that they saw the vote from a mile away.

The vote board was a near-constant 27-23 during the entire debate on House Bill 2 and the Senate’s amendments to it. A group of nine Republicans that have aligned with Democrats since day one again joined forces to pass the bill, while the other 23 Republicans voted against.

Republican Senate President Matt Regier said before the session started, the Legislative Fiscal Division told him that the s...