Move to Senate was good transition

John Brueggeman,

Senate District 6

The 2005 Legislature is finally close to operating at full speed. The struggles for leadership in the House put the session about a week behind its normal progress. The Senate is affected by this through some of its joint Finance and House Appropriations committees as we were waiting for House members to be assigned. At this point we have finally had enough time for committees to hear and act on a sufficient number of bills so that we can expect a normal daily workload.

Moving to the Senate has been a pleasant transition. The most appealing aspect of the Senate is that it has become the stronghold of legislative experience. With the exception of only a few, nearly every member of the Senate has served for multiple sessions.

In contrast, the House has a plethora of new members. I enjoy working with many of the same people every session. The reality that you will be serving with someone for many years encourages respect and the establishment of long-term professional relationships. The atmosphere is more cordial and far less partisan.

Serving in the majority is always a more pleasant, productive climate than the minority. However, due to the good working relationship I enjoy with many of the Democrats, I am fortunate to have been granted all my requests for committee assignments. I serve on the Finance committee, the Finance Subcommittee on Long-Range Planning, Agriculture, and Transportation.

Property taxes, and in particular, acquisition value remain the focus of my work this session. However, my strategy has changed in response to the shift in the Legislature's control.

I do not feel as confident about the success for this proposal from a minority position. To better its odds, I have decided to split the acquisition bill into two parts with the hope of reducing its contentiousness and improving the chance for success in this and next session.

There are a number of bills aimed at correcting our property tax system. Many of them are well conceived and compliment one another.

Many constituents remain concerned about the direction of water rights on our reservation. The Interim Agreement proposed by the State and Tribe is a step in the right direction but has a number of problems. Most importantly: elimination of the 35 gallon per minute and under well exemption. I am currently drafting a bill that would clarify the State's view of priority dates and uses established under an agreement.

My intent is to provide the people of our area with more peace of mind about the future of their rights under an interim agreement.

I appreciate the opportunity to work for the people of Lake and Flathead counties as their voice in Helena. Please contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns.

My contact information for the session:

Phone: 250-6608

Email: senatorjohn@bresnan.net