Hess' voting record on the state budget is rock solid

Editor,

As everyone hopefully knows, the Montana Constitution requires that the Legislature balance its budget every session. That means that priority programs get funded to a certain level, and then the money goes to other programs or runs out. Rep. Hess knows this and she had to vote on House Bill 2, the state budget bill, and all of the proposed amendments. Amendments to HB 2 are individual legislators’ attempts to reprioritize spending. Mr. Alan “Woody” Woodwick tries to assert that Hess did not support economic development. That is false. HB 2 did provide economic development funding, including to Bear Paw Development Corp. for Hi-Line businesses. But she did not vote for additional funding that would have unbalanced the budget, or caused other priorities to lose money.

Budgeting is the Legislature’s duty. Rep. Hess voted for a balanced state budget, and I will vote for her and her experience serving Havre.

Heidi Hill

Havre