Tester response to Legislature’s passage of budget

State budget will put Montanans to work thanks to stimulus money, Senator says

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement in response to the Montana Legislature’s passage of the state budget.  The state budget compromise includes funding from the recently passed jobs-stimulus money.  As a member of the influential U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester helped write, supported and voted for the federal jobs-stimulus bill:

“Working together, the Legislature got the job done today.  The state budget compromise uses funding from the Jobs Bill to help rebuild Montana’s economy from the ground up by putting Montanans back to work. 

“I voted for the Jobs Bill because it creates jobs and cuts more than a half a billion dollars in taxes on Montanans.  Thanks to this compromise from the Legislature, we will see smart, long-term investments in Montana priorities like jobs, education, health care, CHIP, clean water and healthy forests.

“I’m  happy to see that the state budget includes a request I made—along with Senator Baucus and Governor Schweitzer—to use some of the Jobs Bill money to create a revolving loan fund to sustain Montana’s wood-products industry during this economic downturn.  It’s a little common sense that will go a long way to help Montana’s timber industry gets back on its feet.”

More information about the revolving loan fund for Montana’s timber industry is available online HERE.