Comments wanted on various bills
Janna Taylor
House District 11
The workload is increasing as we move toward transmittal break. That is when the bills from the House go to the Senate and vice versa. We get two days off and I'm looking forward to getting home.
All House District 11 residents, please remember that on Thursday, Feb. 24, I'll be at the Polson Senior Citizen Center at noon and at the Library Community Room at 7 p.m. I'll give a short report and answer any of your questions. Senator John Brueggeman plans to join us as well.
Last Wednesday I was the Chair of the House. Although I enjoyed slamming that gavel, I would really rather spend my time studying the bills. It is an honor to be a member of the Appropriations Committee, and budgets demand nearly all my attention.
That is the reason that I decided to miss the trip to Great Falls to see our President. Montana is too often forgotten and I'm glad he stopped by. Social Security is a federal issue, but here in Montana we offer our state employees the choice of a defined contribution or a defined benefit retirement plan. Only younger workers opt for the contribution choice, usually for the same reason a younger worker would look at a personal social security plan.
Most votes on the House floor are not especially partisan, but last week we faced HB447, the pay plan for many state workers. It did not include our teachers, because their pay is negotiated by local school boards. This may be hard to imagine, but the Democrats' plan benefited the higher-end employees and the Republicans' plan would have given greater raises to 72 percent more of the workers, starting with the lowest paid.
We all knew that the Democrats' plan would pass and many Republicans voted for it. I favored a Republican amendment that would have put the two plans together; the Republican plan, which would have raises for the under-$40,000 salaried employees, and the Democrats' plan for the over-$40,000 employees. It is too bad that the state workers were not given a chance to vote on this.
There are a lot of contentious bills coming up. Let me know how you feel about:
? full-time kindergarten, about $22 million,
? ethanol subsidies and 10% use requirements,
? open alcohol containers in a car, seatbelt primary offense,
? conservation easements on school trust lands,
? charter schools and public funding, and
? allowing trespassing on a "corner" of property to reach another property.
I know that Mission Mountain Market is in favor of the mobile meat processing plant proposal. Sounds like a great way to promote Montana meat.
Thanks to the many citizens of House District 11 for their comments and recommendations during the last five weeks. Keep them coming.
If you have time, review the bills by sponsor or topic, or just review titles on the legislative website. You can find that through
Go to government, agencies, legislature and then bills 2005.
Especially review SB152. Does it really define "basic" and "quality" education?
Leave me a message at 406-444-4800, email
or visit my website
jannataylor.com
or write Representative Janna at Capitol Station, PO Box 200400, Helena, MT 59620-0400.