Bill to tie funding to public health directives is folly

The Montana Legislature is working on plans to appropriate the nearly $3 billion American Rescue Plan Act funding package that Montana will receive from the federal government. Unfortunately, the Legislature is entertaining a controversial amendment in the bill to cut federal aid funds by 20% to local government entities that have imposed public health directives more stringent than those set by the state. Since the state now has no public health directives, any local directive would be deemed more stringent than the state.

The latest iteration of this bill would exempt public education — school boards — from the 20% cut, but the threat of reducing state matching funds to cities, counties and tribal government still remains.

In Teton County, the county commissioners and the city councils of Choteau, Fairfield and Dutton have not chosen to impose any local restrictions at this time. But in the future, if a new variant of the virus sweeps across the state, local government may have to impose some restrictions.