Legislature Week 2 Recap
 | Author:
Julie Dooling, House District 70 Representative
MT State Representative |
Legislature Week 2 Recap Julie Dooling, House District 70 Representative Week 2 and the House State Administration Committee has been busy! We’ve heard 18 bills in 9 days and many more are on their way! I organized a field trip and the committee, and our staff, traveled to Ft. Harrison, where we received a detailed debriefing of the Montana Department of Military Affairs and its 7 departments. The trip concluded with members of the committee climbing aboard a Blackhawk or Chinook helicopter, flying around the north end of the Helena Valley where we saw a bird's eye view of Canyon Creek, Sieben Ranch, Gates of the Mountain, and Holter Dam. Many thanks to Major General J. Pete Hronek and his fabulous crew and staff for being such gracious hosts.
In the coming days, we will have the opportunity to preview upcoming proposed legislation and address the State General Surplus funds in excess of $2 billion dollars. The bulk of these funds are from individual and corporate income taxes paid to the state. Some of the proposed ideas are to issue individual income tax rebates, issue property tax refunds, and paying off some of the state bond debt. Some of those details can be found in House Bill (HB) 192.
Governor Gianforte has a few ideas of his own, detailed in his proposed budget. While I don’t like the idea of income tax dollars subsidizing a property tax “refund”, I do support the notion that there are many talented and wicked smart Legislators that have great ideas and that these ideas need to have the opportunity to be fully vetted in committees. I really would rather see the surplus used to fix big problems such as Warm Springs, the State Prison, address mental health issues, or fix our bridges and roads. Montana has deferred maintenance for many years and the signs of age, wear and tear can no longer be ignored. The surplus will be our biggest issue this session.
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