Though controlled by Democrats, the Senate Finance and Claims Committee gave bipartisan approval to spend about $15 million more on the Department of Public Health and Human Services than what was sought in the governor's budget.
The levels are similar to what a joint budget subcommittee agreed to earlier, and included increases for mental-health services, suicide prevention, and increased pay for direct-care workers over what Gov. Brian Schweitzer wanted.
But there have been some casualties from the governor's budget. The Secure Treatment and Examination Program, which would have combined treatment for mentally ill prisoners and potentially violent mental patients in one building on the campus of the Montana State Hospital, lost funding.
And the Department of Corrections lost about $7 million for more beds in secure and treatment-based facilities.
The committee was scheduled to begin considering the education budget Monday. The work it has done so far still needs to be approved by the Senate before negotiations begin with the House.
The process in the Senate so far has been much less contentious than it was in the House, where budget debates divided the body on strict partisan lines for weeks.
''The Senate has again proved that they are a more deliberate and reasonable body,'' said Sen. Greg Barkus, R-Kalispell. He added that though he was alarmed at the rate of governmental growth, he felt like the increase in the DPHHS's budget was worthwhile.
''When the dollars are there, the people who need them should get them,'' he said.
House Bill 820 contains the budget for several agencies.
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