{"id":81623,"date":"2025-06-11T11:02:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T19:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/06\/11\/montana-governor-rejects-bill-that-would-direct-cannabis-tax-revenue-to-cops-and-conversation\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T19:48:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T03:48:31","slug":"montana-governor-rejects-bill-that-would-direct-cannabis-tax-revenue-to-cops-and-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/06\/11\/montana-governor-rejects-bill-that-would-direct-cannabis-tax-revenue-to-cops-and-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana Governor Rejects Bill That Would Direct Cannabis Tax Revenue To \u2018Cops And Conversation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unfortunate that public safety and law enforcement will suffer because nine Republicans who gave the Democrats a \u2018working majority\u2019 in the Senate spent too much money.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Amanda Eggert, Montana Free Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) last week vetoed a bill that would divide revenues generated by adult-use marijuana sales between a variety of conservation, law enforcement, addiction treatment and homelessness support initiatives.<\/p>\n

In a veto letter<\/a> dated June 6, Gianforte argued that however well intentioned, Senate Bill 537<\/a> amounts to a \u201cbrazen raid of more than $141 million from the General Fund over the next four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile putting the state on the hook for local government functions, Senate Bill 537 naturally grows state government at a time when we should be focused on right-sizing government, making it more efficient, more effective and leaner,\u201d Gianforte wrote.<\/p>\n

Sen. Daniel Zolnikov (R-Billings)<\/a> told Montana Free Press (MTFP) he understands Gianforte\u2019s reasoning, but is still disappointed in the veto of his proposal, which he had dubbed the \u201ccops and conservation\u201d bill.<\/p>\n

Zolnikov also expressed frustration with the 2025 Legislature\u2019s political dynamics, which he suggested created the need for his bill, placing particular blame on nine moderate Republicans who voted in concert with Democrats on key issues<\/a>. The Legislature \u201cfailed to do its job of prioritizing spending needs,\u201d Zolnikov said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unfortunate that public safety and law enforcement will suffer because nine Republicans who gave the Democrats a \u2018working majority\u2019 in the Senate spent too much money, but I understand the governor has to make tough decisions as he has to veto his way to a balanced budget,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt is too bad that he chose to veto money going toward law enforcement, rape kits, drug testing and [behavioral] health instead of vetoing a $900 million bill that established a trust fund for subsidizing child care and housing, amongst other new government programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The $900 million proposal Zolnikov referenced, House Bill 924<\/a>, sometimes referred to as the \u201cmega trust bill,\u201d also includes funding for water projects, the state pension system, bridge repairs and property tax credits for primary residences. It arrived on Gianforte\u2019s desk Tuesday, more than a month after the Legislature adjourned.<\/p>\n

Since more than two-thirds of state lawmakers voted to pass SB 537, the secretary of state will send out a poll to lawmakers giving them an opportunity to override the veto.<\/p>\n

In a follow-up conversation with MTFP, Zolnikov said he\u2019s not holding his breath for a reversal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of hard to say, \u2018No, we need to spend this money\u2019 when we just overspent,\u201d he said. \u201cThere have to be some pretty active groups to start supporting [a veto override], like local law enforcement agencies and whatnot. Unless they show up, I don\u2019t see that happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last month Gianforte signed<\/a> into law House Bill 932<\/a>, a competing proposal sponsored by Rep. Ken Walsh (R-Twin Bridges)<\/a>. HB 932 resembles SB 537 in that it devotes one-third of marijuana tax revenues to fund conservation and wildlife habitat programs on private and public land. HB 932 differs in that it funnels most of the remainder into the state\u2019s General Fund, which supports K-12 education, public health programs, correctional facilities and other government functions.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Montana Free Press at\u00a0montanafreepress.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Montana Lawmakers Pass Marijuana Bill To Set Zero-Tolerance THC Limit For Drivers Under 21<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The post Montana Governor Rejects Bill That Would Direct Cannabis Tax Revenue To \u2018Cops And Conversation\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Montana Governor Rejects Bill That Would Direct Cannabis Tax Revenue To \u2018Cops And Conversation\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt is unfortunate that public safety and law enforcement will suffer because nine Republicans who gave the Democrats a \u2018working majority\u2019 in the Senate spent too much money.\u201d By Amanda Eggert, Montana Free Press Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) last week vetoed a bill that would divide revenues generated by adult-useContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81623"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81623"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81623\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81624,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81623\/revisions\/81624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}