Legislative Report

2-24-23

President’s Day, Monday February 20th our floor session was dedicated to listening to our Congressional delegation. It was interesting to hear four different perspectives on the state of our country and their roles in Congress. Senator Tester’s comment about supporting the Keystone Pipeline that President Biden killed, was particularly interesting. He maintains his position that he supported it even though his vote was the deciding vote that killed Senator Daines amendment that would have resurrected the pipeline had it been attached to the huge ARPA spending bill Congress passed in 2021. He would like us to forget the $60 - $80 million of property taxes that Eastern Montana counties would have collected annually for the life of the pipeline. Tester would also like us to forget our high energy costs that have resulted from the cancellation and other anti-energy policies he and the President have pushed forward. Congressman Matt Rosendale was far and away the recipient of the warmest welcome by the Legislature.

Appropriations, that I serve on, now does morning and afternoon committee meeting as a whole. We will be entering into the final week of pre transmittal on Monday, before transmittal break starting after Floor on Friday. The main significance of this, besides being the half way point of the session is, all non revenue and expense bills must be passed from the originating chamber to the other by Friday or they die. Consequently, the hours and bills hitting various committees has jumped dramatically as the deadline looms.

HB 338 by Windy Boy seeks to require more compliance reporting by schools regarding funding they receive for Indian Education For All that is required by our constitution, unfortunately. Despite my vote against, it passed easily. Also on Tuesday,HB258 By Kassmier passed easily expanding State meat inspections in lieu of federal. This is designed to ease the cost on local processors wanting to retail meat in addition to custom processing. I presented HB284 that reinstates preapproval or denial for utility companies wanting to build or buy generation or transmission capacity. This bill was necessitated by a Missoula judge’s ruling a portion of the original law unconstitutional because it only allowed this process for Northwestern Energy. My bill makes the process available to any utility. I believe this is good for customers of the utility as well because it allows a utility to find out whether a major investment by them will be allowed into their rate base. This may help a utility to avoid jeopardizing their financial stability by making a major investment that won’t be allowed in. The last thing we need is a major regulated energy supplier in financial trouble if it can be avoided. More energy, less cost.

Wednesday, HB422 by Falk passed 2nd reading easily. This commonsense bill allows daycare centers the flexibility of a greater ratio of kids to caregiver than currently allowed. This can help hold down per child costs that these caregivers need to charge.

Thursday Seekins Crowe brought HB433. This bill seeks to stop professional accreditation groups from weaponizing their accreditation standards based on religious beliefs. The impetus for this bill was a pastor in Western Montana who had his realtors license threatened because he wouldn’t participate in advancing a lunch program for kids that included inserting LGBTQXYZ literature in their sack lunches. His church continued providing lunches apart from the organization pushing the agenda. He has been harassed and threatened by the local realtors association. We also passed, 66-33, a bill by Mitchell, HB359, that prohibits kids under 18 from being exposed to Drag shows in any venue receiving state funding. Of course, this bill has brought a few of the queens to the Capitol to promote their “family friendly” shows.

The 40th working day of the session brought 19 bills to the floor for 2nd reading. Earlier in the session some floor sessions lasted 30 minutes or so. Today we went over 3 hours. Three bills attracted the most attention. HB464 by Fielder tackled an area that helps create a lot of confusion at election time, who to vote for in a judicial race. Current law requires candidates to run as nonpartisan. Typically there is little information available for the public to evaluate a candidates values and beliefs. 464 would allow the candidates to elect a party affiliation if they so choose or nonpartisan. While this is certainly no guarantee of ones value base, it may provide some guidance to voters. Some judges are truly nonpartisan, some definitely are not. Some of those nots have cost our state dearly over the years and continue to do so. 464 failed unfortunately, 49-51 on 2nd, hopefully their will be a motion to reconsider Monday and we can turn the vote around.

HB473 by Gunderson was a hotly debated bill that will reject a more stringent selenium level for Lake Koocanusa on the Kootenai River. Why do you care? Everything in the river and lake is healthy but that’s really not the ultimate point. On the Canadian side, up river, is a coal mine and power generating plant the environmental extremists hate of course. The Selenium from the coal up the river is many multiples higher than the lake, same thing, healthy fish, healthy river. Fortunately we moved this bill forward on a near party line vote 66-34. Energy security is another of the most important issues of the session.

Bill Mercer’s HB190 seeks to refine a bill we got signed into law last session that mandates state agencies to do performance audits and report to the legislature. States that have successfully adopted these policies have seen positive results in efficiency and less redundancy. This passed 78-22 with only Democrats opposing.

A typical day, especially as the session advances involves more and more informal small get togethers with fellow legislators to discuss on going legislation, especially in my case, how to carve up the fiscal bird. I remain committed to seeing as much of the over budget collection of taxes going back to those that paid them.

That’s it for this week. I hope to be at the Miles City Patriots group Sunday, March 5th for a legislative report by area legislators. I’ll be home for a few days and hope to be able to touch base with some of you then.

High school juniors and seniors, it’s not too late to sign up to be a page either on the Senate or House side. It’s a great opportunity to get a front row seat at the legislature for a week. Contact me or Leg Services.

For Freedom, Representative Jerry Schillinger, 406-974-2478, Jerry.Schillinger@legmt.gov