Budget, abortion and housing emerge as key issues in state Legislature

As Montana’s 68th Legislature will get underway, members seem poised to deal with laws surrounding abortion, the state’s housing disaster and an enormous finances surplus.

Simply the best way to use Montana’s anticipated $1.5 billion windfall emerged because the main problem within the run up into the 2023 legislative session, which started Jan 2. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte unveiled his proposed finances in November, emphasizing its property and revenue tax cuts, creation of a kid tax credit score, an adoption tax credit score and funding for infrastructure initiatives.

Whereas fellow Republicans — the GOP holds a supermajority within the Legislature — lauded Gianforte’s proposal, state Democrats took a dim view of his fiscal roadmap. In a press name in early December, Democratic leaders mentioned they anxious the finances proposal would steer cash in the direction of the wealthiest Montanans fairly than those that want it.

“There are going to be a number of full of life matters [in the session], however No. 1 is cash,” mentioned Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, a longtime state legislator and incoming vice chair of the finances subcommittee of lengthy vary planning.

In Northwest Montana, state legislators cited differing issues as they ready to dig into the main points of Gianforte’s finances proposal. Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, mentioned his focus going into the session was on property tax discount. He has drafted a number of payments to that impact, similar to rerouting lodging taxes again to localities fairly than the state common fund and offering property tax help to aged owners by fixing their appraised worth.

“Every of those [bills] is just not a number of discount, however as soon as we begin including them collectively it ought to assist get issues going,” Regier mentioned.

Home Speaker Rep. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, anticipated the results of inflation would play into finances discussions. Inflation, which surged for the reason that pandemic started waning, has led to increased prices for shoppers and native governments alike and battered household budgets in latest months.

Sen. John Fuller, R-Whitefish, echoed Cuffe in a latest interview, saying he expects the disposition of the excess to be entrance and middle.

“These are matters that we discuss each session, however this 12 months we have now cash to combat over,” Fuller mentioned.

LEGISLATORS ALSO are anticipated to grapple with the state’s ongoing housing disaster, which has emerged as a distinguished problem in Northwest Montana. Housing demand within the Flathead continues to outpace provide, and plenty of legislators want to allocate cash in a method or one other to bolster the housing inventory.

“The housing scarcity is fairly critical statewide,” mentioned Rep. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish.

Greater than 75 requested payments for the 2023 session make point out of housing. Fern mentioned he drafted a invoice that appears at modifying resort taxes to permit an additional % to go to reasonably priced housing for vacation spot communities. He’s additionally taking a look at different payments to deal with reasonably priced housing.

However some legislators see the housing disaster as one greatest confronted by native governments fairly than the state. Rep. Courtenay Sprunger, R-Kalispell, mentioned that in terms of housing, the very best authorities is native authorities. It’s a sentiment shared by many Flathead legislators.

“I’m having a tough time [believing] that it has developed to the place authorities has to unravel housing issues on the state stage. I don’t suppose the state and federal authorities needs to be allowed in housing,” mentioned Rep. Bob Kennan, R-Bigfork.

Matt Regier allowed that the state authorities has a voice within the housing problem, however noticed it greatest addressed in cooperation with localities.

“There’s a function for the state to play, but additionally native governments must be part of the answer, too,” he mentioned.

ALONG WITH the finances and housing, abortion looms massive this 12 months. A number of states in Montana’s orbit tightened restrictions to abortion after the U.S. Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade in June. For instance, Idaho’s complete abortion ban took impact on the finish of August.

There are round 30 draft requests addressing abortion-related points so far. Rep. Amy Reiger, R-Kalispell, has requested 4 and Matt Regier, her brother, has requested three, two of which debate dismemberment abortions.

Matt Regier mentioned he noticed the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a giving of rights again to the states. Amy Regier declined to touch upon the payments, however each Regiers have voiced their opposition to abortion previously.

Most Republican legislators within the area probably will help efforts to limit abortion within the upcoming session as effectively. For instance, Cuffe has voted pro-life “all the best way” since becoming a member of the Legislature in 2011.

Nonetheless, elected Democrats have vowed to “protect essential reproductive healthcare,” as said in a celebration press launch objecting to a proposed rule that may implement a collection of restrictions on Medicaid sufferers searching for abortions.

WHILE THE BUDGET, housing and abortion garner the lion’s share of consideration, legislators within the Flathead and elsewhere are digging into different matters. There are, for instance, greater than 250 launched and unintroduced payments on schooling.

Sprunger hopes to hold a invoice that can help college students with profession development alternatives — a “technical schooling invoice,” the Kalispell Republican mentioned.

“I’m excited about eradicating limitations and offering a sturdy workforce for the longer term,” Sprunger mentioned.

Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, wrote in an electronic mail that he’s shepherding a number of payments coping with schooling, together with one to implement monetary literacy necessities in excessive colleges.

Kennan mentioned he desires to fill the schooling infrastructure belief fund, improve profession and technical schooling programs within the Okay-12 system, probably look into partial enrollment for varsity districts and improve transparency in a method that ensures parental rights.

Rep. Terry Falk, R-Kalispell, can be excited about schooling points, particularly parental rights.

“In my parenting expertise, a really viable and workable answer is a partnership between colleges and oldsters (I feel we have to enhance this),” Falk wrote in an electronic mail.

Training apart, Fuller stays targeted on veterans points. The Vietnam Conflict veteran has requested {that a} state veterans cemetery be in-built Northwest Montana and needs to see retired army pensions exempted from the state revenue tax. Equally, Mitchell is lobbying to ascertain a veterans cemetery in Columbia Falls.

Turning to vitality coverage, Falk warned that Montana has a growing vitality coverage disaster. The Kalispell Republican desires to see the Legislature work towards making Montana an vitality impartial state with the flexibility to export to its neighbors.

“We’ve plenty of choices however we have to transfer ahead now,” Falk wrote in an electronic mail.

Different legislators are coming into the session with particular person priorities. For Bigfork’s Kennan, that matter is psychological well being.

“With out correct upkeep of the general public psychological well being system, you are likely to cycle into psychological well being encounters being [dealt with by] regulation enforcement, jails, emergency rooms and the Heat Springs waitlist,” Kennan mentioned, referring to the Montana State Hospital.

Different legislators voiced comparable issues. Cuffe talked about the opportunity of placing cash towards essential care amenities across the state to alleviate strain on the state hospital. Gianforte’s finances features a $300 million funding to Montana’s behavioral well being providers, together with substance abuse, and the cash will primarily go towards bettering providers on the Montana State Hospital, which noticed federal accreditation stripped this 12 months.

THE LEGISLATIVE session will probably be set towards the backdrop of a Republican supermajority, which leaves Democrats with little room to barter. The GOP gained greater than the minimal 98 required seats, which no political occasion has achieved for the reason that make-up of the Montana Legislature was established in 1975.

In accordance with Fern, the one elected Democrat within the valley, the numerous side of a supermajority is that it permits the quick monitoring of constitutional initiatives that don’t require signature gathering. Republicans additionally maintain the ability to overturn a veto from the governor. Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply that there will probably be no debate over conservative targets. In accordance with Sen. Keith Regier, Montanans should wait till the top of the session to see simply how tremendous the bulk will probably be.

“In some respects, issues haven’t modified that a lot,” Fern mentioned. “There’s been a major [GOP] majority since I began and I’m on my fourth time period. One shouldn’t assume that each one Republicans or all Democrats suppose the identical method so far as their platform.”

Reporter Kate Heston could be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.