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| Panel cuts Montana corrections budget by $2 million |
| By Great Falls Tribune |
| Published: 03/14/2005 |
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The House Appropriations Committee voted Monday to shave $2 million from the proposed Montana Department of Corrections budget, a change the director said is not catastrophic. "We've got the money to do the things we really want to do," Bill Slaughter said. The decrease was one of several attempts to trim corrections spending, which was about $7 million above the amount recommended by the governor. The Appropriations Committee made the change by amending House Bill 2, the chief funding bill before the Legislature. Rep. Tim Callahan, chairman of the committee that helped craft the corrections budget, urged members of the Appropriations Committee to reject all of the proposed amendments. Afterward, the Great Falls Democrat called the $2 million reduction "considerable" but stressed that the decision is not final. "There is still so much of the budget process to go," Callahan said. The Corrections Department needs an infusion of money to accommodate steady growth in the state prison system, which has reached capacity. The proposal now being considered includes construction of a 240-bed "special needs" prison, expansion of the prerelease system and the addition of an 85-bed probation and parole "revocation" center at Montana State Prison. Also, the Shelby prison will no longer house federal prisoners if the plan is approved, making room for about 88 state inmates. The Appropriations Committee is expected to vote on House Bill 2 on Tuesday. |
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