Guest speakers speak about appropriations during teleconference

Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre, Rep. Joshua Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, spoke Friday from Helena during a legislative teleconference in Havre on bills in the Legislature. Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, also briefly attended.

Guest speakers Rep. Ryan Lynch, D-Butte, and Rep. Jim Keane, D-Butte, spoke during the teleconference about appropriations in the House of Representatives.

Keane said the House Appropriations Committee is working on several new bills such as a House Bill 553, introduced by Rep. Frederick Moore, R-Miles City, a bill to generally revise infrastructure funding laws. He said the bill passed out of committee Thursday and will be heard on the floor this week.

The bill is creating a new system in Montana so counties no longer have to fight over infrastructure, Keane said. He added that the bill addresses reduced coal tax revenue. Coal tax since the 1970s in all areas of the state has funded at least $60 million in infrastructure, Keane said.

The language the bill uses has been borrowed from a couple of different states such as Utah, Keane said, and it was written so bankers and investment representatives can support it.

During stable periods, the bill will take care of itself, Keane said, and during up periods the state will be able to pay in cash or in bonds for infrastructure depending on what is needed in the economy. He said the bill will function similarly to the Treasure State Endowment Program.

Lynch said a bill he proposed for long-range building bonding programs, House Bill 14, will be re-worked, re-figured, re-numbered and assigned a new sponsor.

He said the bill would include two projects in Chouteau County and two in Hill County.

“We’re up here and I think you guys, since delegation, believes in investing in infrastructure, believes you have to have that foundation to be able to grow jobs and grow economy and it’s the basic stuff,” Lynch said.

Keane added that there was some opposition to this bill, specifically on the sunset. He said originally there was no sunset on the bill, also taking the oppositions recommendation will now be including a 10 year sunset.

“I don’t think the old coal miner down there mining coal all over the state of Montana ever been recognized for the gift that they’ve given to Montana,” he said.

Legislators’ bills

Bachmeier said that his House Bill 391, which was to provide funding for historic development, was tabled in State Administrations Committee. This bill, he said was specifically crafted for Havre Beneath the Streets, which has experienced extensive water damage in the past year, and would grant them $100,000 for repairs.

Although the bill has been tabled, he said, the bill is “not dead by any means.”

He said he is working with people on the appropriations committee to amend the bill as a special project bill into House Bill 7, introduced by Keane, which is a reclamation and development grants bill. Once this amendment is in the bill, Bachmeier said, it will be very hard to get it out.

He added that Keane is also getting people on both sides of the aisle to work on this bill.

Bachmeier said Havre Beneath the Streets is also working on additional grants and fundraisers with Bear Paw Development Corp. to make these repairs. The repairs would be for the sidewalk in front of the Havre Eagles Club, where water has been leaking through into the historical underground, damaging property estimated at $200,000 for repairs.

Bachmeier added that he also introduced House Bill 607 to revise laws regarding the manufacturing and sale of pet food treats, inspired by Havre business owner Keeley Wilson. He submitted the bill Thursday, he said, and the bill will probably be heard after transmittal. It has a later transmittal deadline because it is a revenue bill.

He said he was told that the Department of Agriculture likes the language in the bill so much that they are proposing the bill as a model for other states because this being a common problem for small scale pet treat businesses.

“That’s exciting to hear and I’m looking forward to continuing to work on that,” he said.

Kassmier said that his House Bill 332, regarding the relocation of wild bison, has been recently passed out of committee and will be heard on the floor this week.

Bachmeier said that he voted against this bill and respectfully disagrees with Kassmier on this bill. He said he believes Fish, Wildlife and Parks is doing a good job with bison relocation and changing procedures is not needed.

Kassmier said that the FWP still manages the process although counties will be able to decide if wild bison will be relocated to their counties. He added that the liability of the bison will also still be on the FWP because it is in control of vaccinations and testing for brucellosis.

Kassmier said House Bill 490 of Rep. Walt Sales, R-Manhattan, passed through the committee last week and will be heard on the floor some time this week.

House Bill 490 is a raw milk bill, Kassmier said, adding that there are some good components in it.

Bachmeier said that he voted for Sales’ bill, although he is still not a fan of raw milk for human consumption.

“If we are going to have raw milk, it needs to be regulated,” he said. “I can’t tell people what or what not to drink but wanted to have at least some regulations on it.”

He said during this legislative session he has heard three big raw milk bills. One was for herd sharing, he said, which was tabled because raw milk producers already are allowed herd sharing. The second was introduced by Rep, Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, which had no regulations.

Bachmeier said Sales worked with the dairy industry while drafting the bill, writing it in a way which it is very difficult to oppose. He added that there are a few sideboards on the bill which will hold producers accountable and to the same standards as other dairy producers.

Kassmier said the sideboards will protect consumers.

“I think this bill is about as good as you can get,” Bachmeier said.

Bachmeier and Kassmier both talked about House Bill 21, Hannah’s Act, sponsored by Rae Peppers, D-Lame Deer, which will involve the Montana Department of Justice assisting in cases of murdered and missing Native American women. They said the bill was passed by the House although the financial part of the bill was removed.

Bachmeier said he was also speaking on the floor Friday regarding the State Rock n’ Roll Song. He said some people have mixed feeling on this bill although it is not necessarily about the song, the “Hippy Hippy Shake,” written by Chan Romero while he was living in Billings and made famous by The Beatles.

He said this bill took him about 10 minutes to write and was in committee for about 15 minutes, not using a large amount of resources and time.

The legislative website said this morning that the bill is “probably dead.”

“It’s not so much about the song it’s about honoring the Montanan who wrote the song,” Bachmeier said.