Montana Legislature proposes reducing funds to government agencies with COVID-19 regulations stricter than the state’s

The bill states “the amount of the grant is reduced by 20% if that local government or any of its authorized agents have issued health regulations related to COVID-19 that are more strict than those imposed by the state.”

But there are still unanswered questions about the measure, which is in House Bill 632, the bill allocating funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. Sponsor Rep. Frank Garner, R-Kalispell, said Friday afternoon that the measure is intended to only apply to the units of government who have COVID-19 related regulations.