Legislators’ bills going before committees
Tim Leeds
Several bills sponsored by local legislators have been heard or are scheduled for committee hearings in the 2011 legislative session, with a plethora of additional requests pending in the drafting stage.
Rep. Tony Belcourt, D-Box Elder, has the most actual bill numbers assigned, including one bill that was heard in committee Monday.
That bill, House Bill 58, would revise the status of an account for the Fort Belknap Indian Community for control of water flow in People’s Creek from a private purpose trust to a state special revenue account. It was heard in the Natural Resources Committee.
Another of Belcourt's bills, HB 59, would allow utility companies to count some new and expanded hydropower plants as renewable energy. State law requires power companies to use renewable energy — such as solar and wind — for 10 percent of their portfolio. That bill was scheduled for a hearing today.
Other Belcourt legislation includes a bill to revise how the amounts local governments receive in entitlement funds, HB 56, scheduled to be heard Thursday, and a bill to appropriate money for a reclamation and development grants program, HB 7, which has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
The other requests that have been assigned bill numbers are sponsored by Rep. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, and Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder.
Hansen’s bill, HB 126, would allow state district courts to sentence juveniles for all offenses with which they are charged if the juvenile is prosecuted for a major felony offense. The first hearing on her bill was scheduled for this morning.
Windy Boy’s Senate Bill 137 would ban insurance companies from using credit scores as a factor in setting car insurance premiums. It is scheduled for a hearing Thursday. Another of his bills, SB 156, would revise tribal use of certain funds through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. It has not yet been assigned a hearing date. Windy Boy has six other bills in the bill drafting process.
Sen. Rowlie Hutton, R-Havre, has four bills pending.
Belcourt has two other requests pending in the drafting process.
The top number of bill requests have come from Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Havre, and Hansen.
Hansen has 13 other requests pending in the process, while Warburton has 23 pending.
(Editor’s note: Watch for in-depth coverage of specific bills as they progress through the legislative process in upcoming editions of the Havre Daily News, www.havredailynews.com, and facebook.com/havredailynews.)
Several bills sponsored by local legislators have been heard or are scheduled for committee hearings in the 2011 legislative session, with a plethora of additional requests pending in the drafting stage.
Rep. Tony Belcourt, D-Box Elder, has the most actual bill numbers assigned, including one bill that was heard in committee Monday.
That bill, House Bill 58, would revise the status of an account for the Fort Belknap Indian Community for control of water flow in People’s Creek from a private purpose trust to a state special revenue account. It was heard in the Natural Resources Committee.
Another of Belcourt's bills, HB 59, would allow utility companies to count some new and expanded hydropower plants as renewable energy. State law requires power companies to use renewable energy — such as solar and wind — for 10 percent of their portfolio. That bill was scheduled for a hearing today.
Other Belcourt legislation includes a bill to revise how the amounts local governments receive in entitlement funds, HB 56, scheduled to be heard Thursday, and a bill to appropriate money for a reclamation and development grants program, HB 7, which has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
The other requests that have been assigned bill numbers are sponsored by Rep. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, and Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder.
Hansen’s bill, HB 126, would allow state district courts to sentence juveniles for all offenses with which they are charged if the juvenile is prosecuted for a major felony offense. The first hearing on her bill was scheduled for this morning.
Windy Boy’s Senate Bill 137 would ban insurance companies from using credit scores as a factor in setting car insurance premiums. It is scheduled for a hearing Thursday. Another of his bills, SB 156, would revise tribal use of certain funds through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. It has not yet been assigned a hearing date. Windy Boy has six other bills in the bill drafting process.
Sen. Rowlie Hutton, R-Havre, has four bills pending.
Belcourt has two other requests pending in the drafting process.
The top number of bill requests have come from Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Havre, and Hansen.
Hansen has 13 other requests pending in the process, while Warburton has 23 pending.
(Editor’s note: Watch for in-depth coverage of specific bills as they progress through the legislative process in upcoming editions of the Havre Daily News, www.havredailynews.com, and facebook.com/havredailynews.)
