Democrats want $1 billion of Montana's budget surplus spent on housing, childcare and mental health

[TexasTowelie]

Legislative Democrats said Wednesday they want to spend Montana’s sizable budget surplus on a billion-dollar effort to help residents who are struggling with the cost of housing, property taxes, childcare and mental health services.

Their proposal, announced at a press conference at the state Capitol in Helena, would put $500 million toward building subsidized housing for rent or purchase, $250 million to property tax relief, $125 million to childcare affordability, and $125 million to increased funding for mental health services.

Some parts of the plan could in theory be implemented by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte in the short term, and others would require action during the 2023 Montana Legislature. Barring a major upset in this fall’s elections, Democrats will likely head into next winter’s legislative session as the minority party, meaning the process of writing the state’s next two-year budget would remain largely controlled by majority Republicans and the Republican governor.

Regardless, Democrats insisted Wednesday that their ideas represent vital opportunities to address cost-of-living concerns that are increasingly painful for many Montana families.

Read more: https://montanafreepress.org/2022/07/13/montana-democrats-outline-1-billion-plan-housing-tax-relief-childcare/