Bonding bill, Northern auto-diesel building, fails in House

A bill cited by one state legislator as the "biggest jobs bill we had before us" failed its final vote in the house at 8:12 a. m. this morning.

The state bonding bill, which finally included funding for a new diesel and automotive technology building for Montana State University-Northern, failed. Sixty-two voted yes, 38 voted no, but it failed to get the needed two-third majority required of bonding measures.

"I'm shocked that it failed that bad, " said Greg Kegel, dean of Northern's College of Technology. "I expected a much closer vote if it failed. "

He said the bill possibly could be revive...