WEB EXTRA Helena update from Rep. Janna Taylor
It was great to have last weekend off. I figured that my ski pants were too tight because of all the sitting and donuts at the legislature. But Rock Dresen up at Blacktail Mountain told me global warming was the cause.
Last week at the legislature we passed a couple of bills sponsored by Llew Jones (R-Conrad). These would limit the scope of appeals and reform the permitting process for natural resource development. Representative Art Noonan, also the executive director of the Montana Democrat Party, said that these bills were the compromises we were all looking for.
The latest wind development project in the Conrad area went all around a school section because the state lands are more difficult to deal with. Now, because of another Llew Jones bill, House Bill 611, our school children should be able to benefit from this type of project.
I reluctantly voted for House Bill 15 to fund K-12 education. The price tag is $48.6 million for the next biennium and $65.2 million for the following two years. The worst part of the bill is the effect on the state’s property taxpayers, although this is only $4.1 million in 2010 and $8.4 million is 2011.
Do you believe I just wrote “only” when talking about millions of dollars? Sounds like the discussion about the stimulus package. Montana’s share is expected to be over $600 million and you know we won’t say no.
We are planning a group of legislators to meet next week and make some stimulus money decisions. We need to put the money into infrastructure not on-going programs. Because, do you think the recession will be over next year?
The first negative words were spoken in the House last week. When there isn’t any extra money, we tend to get along better, but this disagreement wasn’t about cash.
In 2005, the House was 50-50 and we had a Democrat Speaker of the House. In 2007, Republicans had a one-vote majority and we had the Speaker position. In both years, all bills were introduced.
Our current Speaker, Bob Bergren (D-Havre), refused to allow a bill to be heard. It was regarding a controversial topic, right to work. He said he was protecting Montana jobs and job creation.
I think the real reason is that he is a member of a public employees union. In Montana, most of the union workers work for you and me, teachers, state employees, federal employees and even the lawyers in our public defender system.
It would have been a difficult vote, but the issue is that we never even got the chance to make that vote. And last Wednesday I saw something no one has ever seem before, 32 bills on a first agenda all sponsored by Democrats.
The second agenda had all Republican bills, 23 of them. I have no idea why the bills were segregated. In the past, the 55 bills would have been put in numerical order.
Another problem is the revenue estimate, known as House Joint Resolution 2. When we passed it out of the Taxation Committee, there was an agreement between both leaderships to read it over the rostrum and return it to committee.
That way, if we needed to increase the revenue amount, let’s be hopeful, or decrease the amount, it could be amended. Speaker Bergren never returned HJ2 to committee.
The budget is balanced with the revenue in HJ2 on one side and the budget spending in House Bill 2 on the other side. If revenue estimates go down and HJ 2 can’t be reduced in committee, the budget can be over-spent.
I do not want to have a special session to cut state government programs. Let’s hope we can all work to keep the state budget balanced during these tough times.
Please continue to contact me. I never forget that I work for the citizens of House District 11. Leave me a message at 406-444-4800 or e-mail me at jannataylor@montana.com