Highlights from Helena - Sen. Janna Taylor

The House is starting the budget process this week. We all watch this carefully so we know what is coming to the Senate and how much we are spending, saving, and returning to the taxpayers.

Sometimes there is a lack of common sense around here. The ‘high roller’ bingo games in Heron and Noxon were closed down last year by the Department of Justice because they didn’t have an operator’s license for ‘gaming.’ “Everyone must be treated fairly under the law,” said the department.  HB264, sponsored by Rep. Ingraham from Thompson Falls exempts senior citizen centers from licensing requirements for bingo and live card games.

Our disorderly conduct laws include thing like challenging to fight, or fighting; making loud or unusual noises; using threatening, profane, or abusive language; discharging firearms, except at a shooting range; rendering vehicular or pedestrian traffic impassable; etc.

House Bill 446 sponsored by Representative Nicholas Schwaderer (R, Superior) removes discharging firearms from this list. “Loud noises” is still on the list. Do you have neighbors that set off fireworks? Lots of that noise sounds like gun shots. Why single out guns?

The Montana Senate is responsible for confirming department directors and members of councils and boards. I’ve received thousands of form emails telling me to confirm or not to confirm former congressman Pat Williams as a University Regent. Only a handful were actually from our area.

In a regent meeting last week, Pat Williams was in favor of using $1.1 million of university money to aid in the purchase of the Aageson’s farm. He actually said that the university “had a pool of money” and would regret not making this purchase later.

So why would we continue to work to cap tuition if the university system has this pool of money? And why would we even buy this land? The Aagesons will rent back the land to farm and their lease payments will go to the state.

Area farmers and ranchers are against this purchase and have removed over 50,000 privately owned acres that were open to public hunting.  I would rather see Fish Wildlife and Parks use their money for block management or leasing hunting rights to connect public lands.

Besides the Williams emails, I’m receiving form emails about HB 240. These emails say “Please oppose legislation to force guns on college campuses.” That is not what HB 240 does.

Anyone can look up the actual text of the bill at leg.mt.gov. Just go to bills, 2013 session and enter HB 240. This bill says that the Board of Regents cannot deny our U.S. and Montana constitutional rights. There is no “forced guns” on campus!

Here’s an interesting fact; of the 269 bills heard on the Senate floor up to the halfway point, only four votes were on pure party lines. But the upcoming budget process will probably be more contentious.

Please continue to contact me with your personal comments. Leave me a message at 406-444-4800. My cell is 253-8766 and my email is jannataylor@montana.com. Remember that I work for you.