Hello again from Helena. My three committees (Agriculture, Education and Business and Labor) held few hearings this week. But the time was taken up by long lists of Senate bills each day to receive action on the House floor. Since these bills needed previous positive votes on the Senate floor and in House committees, most required little debate and received positive votes on their way to the Governor.

The second group of bills we dealt with was House bills returned with Senate amendments. Most were accepted with little further debate also.

The total number of bills debated this week were 79 Senate bills and House bills amended by the Senate. I will mention bills that received the majority of the debate: Senate Bill 388 to provide assistance for additional training for workers already hired (passed), Senate Bill 360 to create additional capacity for transporting energy (geothermal, solar, and wind) (passed), Senate J11  a resolution to request Congress to fund bioproduct (diesel) innovation centers (passed), House Bill 228  the Castle Doctrine bill with Senate amendments (referred to conference), House J 31 a resolution to study marriage (failed), Senate Bill 286 to clarify the role of the Milk Control Board (passed), and Senate Bill 371 to clarify “at work” for Worker’s Compensation (passed).

 As the session winds down, the most attention is being given to budget bills. On Friday, a Senate committee voted to change House Bill 2 by reducing money to all state programs and agencies by two percent and replacing the money that was going to schools with stimulus money (which is one-time-only money). This move will require removal of funding for about $40 million designated earlier by the House for other programs and projects to receive stimulus money. The amount of the governor’s proposed budget surplus of arguably $320 million is being questioned by some as excessive. There seems to be no lack of issues for debate.

 Several local advocates for Montana’s food and agriculture development centers (such as the Mission Mountain Enterprise Center in Ronan) were here for a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing. Billie Lee, Jan Tusick and Jay Preston joined people from Great Falls and Lewistown in support of this bill, which I sponsored. This bill had already passed House committee and floor votes. Although this committee voted 8-1 in support of these valuable centers, the Senate’s use of stimulus money to replace cuts made to education (as pointed out above) will probably mean this bill will die on the Senate floor. Lobbyists and I will continue to work hard next week to find  funding somewhere.

 Also of local interest, the House agreed with the Senate on a bill to ratify the water compact negotiated for use of water needed on the National Bison Range. This bill does not affect the management of the Range. It deals only with the water needed for proper operations of the Range.

 Please stay in touch. My cell is 207-3188 and e-mail address is fleming@stignatius.net. Please include a physical address.