The bill aims to revise the process for awarding grants for cultural and aesthetic projects in Montana by establishing specific criteria for prioritizing applications. The Cultural and Aesthetic Projects Advisory Committee will rank applicants based on their previous grant awards and the size of their annual operating budgets. First priority will be given to applicants who have not received any prior awards, followed by those with one, two, or three awards in the last three funding cycles. Additionally, the committee will prioritize applicants based on their operating budget, with smaller budgets receiving higher priority. The bill also mandates that the committee adjust budget limits for inflation between funding cycles.

Furthermore, the bill introduces an exception for grant applicants whose total program budget does not exceed $100,000, allowing them to request a waiver from the requirement to obtain a federal system for award management number (SAMs number) if it poses a burden. The bill amends Section 22-2-302 of the Montana Code Annotated to clarify the committee's powers and duties, ensuring that their recommendations to the legislature are advisory only. The new legal language inserted into the current law specifies that the committee's review of proposals is subject to the prioritization criteria established in the bill.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 22-2-302
HB0757_1(1): 22-2-302
HB0757_1(2): 22-2-302
HB0757_1(3): 22-2-302
HB0757_1(4): 22-2-302
HB0757_1(5): 22-2-302
HB0757_1(6): 22-2-302
HB0757_1(7): 22-2-302
HB0757_1: 22-2-302
HB0757_X(1): 22-2-302
HB0757_X(2): 22-2-302
HB0757_X(3): 22-2-302
HB0757_X(4): 22-2-302
HB0757_X(5): 22-2-302
HB0757_X: 22-2-302