Montana lawmakers cut grants for organizations that didn’t present at January hearings as influential Republican criticizes how grants are awarded.

“You are not required to testify, but the committee chair strongly encourages everyone to participate,” those materials read in part, adding that applicants could testify in person, via writing or by a Zoom video call.

The arts council staffer who manages the grant program, Kristin Burgoyne, apologized for giving applicants the impression that testimony was optional, saying at a Feb. 21 meeting of the full House Appropriations Committee that she had misinterpreted Fitzpatrick’s expectations.

As the debate has drawn on, Fitzpatrick drew criticism for not disclosing that his wife, Connie, is on the board of a grant recipient that got more money than originally proposed. St. Timothy’s Summer Music Festival in Anaconda had its grant increased from $5,000 to $12,600 as a result of the cut dollars being redistributed.

by Eric Dietrich