Today, Governor Brian Schweitzer was true to his word when he said he would take his VETO branding irons to bills that are unconstitutional, frivolous or in direct contradiction to the expressed will of Montana voters.
In a ceremony on the north steps of the Capitol, the Governor was joined by more than 100 onlookers as he took the brands to 7 bills.
The bills the got the brand were:
- SB114: Which initially would have put sheriffs in charge of federal law enforcement officers, but now had been amended to where it was pointless and would do nothing but clutter our law books
- HB318: Would put county commissioners in charge of bison management, rather than FWP as it currently is
- SB109: Would kills jobs in the state and roll back our progress towards renewable energy
- HB272: Would make it more difficult for the public to acquire land for hunting, fishing and recreating
- SB159: Would make it harder for homeowners to make their homes more energy efficient
- HB180: Would eliminate election day voter registration
- SB306: Would overturn two voter approved laws that restricted cyanide leach open-pit mining and thus would severely damage our rivers, lakes and streams
In addition to these bills, the Governor also held a more traditional veto signing in his office. Here he vetoed the following bills: HB456, HB464, SB111, SB228, SB324, SB370, SB324, SB370, SB254, HB161, SB183 and HB542
Today, the Republican majority in the House gave initial approval to SB303, a bill that would restrict the state’s ability to acquire new public land for hunting, fishing and recreation land.
Under this bill, before the state could purchase new public lands, they would be required to receive approval of the Board of Land Commissioners. In addition, the purchase must not result in any net gain of land in the state’s possession. This means, that the state would be required to get rid of land before it could purchase new land.
This bill would open the door to wealth, out-of-state landowners to come in and purchase pristine Montana land and lock the public out.
In addition, landowners who allow the public to access their land often seek to sell this land very cheap to the state upon their death in order to ensure their land remains accessible to the public. The state would not be allowed to purchase this land, regardless of how cheap it is, without first disposing of other land they own.
The bill faced bipartisan opposition, however it still passed by a vote of 51-49. It will face a final vote in the House when the legislature reconvenes on Monday.
Apparently the majority of the Republican House believes the state already has enough hunting, fishing and camping space.
As usual, Rep. Wagner had a “unique” take on the issue.
Along partisan lines, the Senate today gave final approval to the Republican budget proposal. The bill now goes to the Governor, who has already indicated that the bill is unacceptable to him.
The bill rejects $100 million in federal dollars that were intended to provide heating assistance to families and health care to children. This money, if the bill becomes law, will go to other states such as New Jersey and North Dakota.
Throughout the legislative session, the Republican majority in the legislature has rejected Democratic ideas, instead favoring a partisan and irresponsible approach to crafting a budget.
In addition to shutting out Democratic legislators, Republicans have also rejected input from the Governor. The Governor presented the legislature with a balanced budget that maintains services in the state without increasing taxes on Montanans. The GOP has made it clear they were not interested in this responsible approach to the state budget.
The Governor now has 10 days to sign or veto the budget measure.
Today, Republicans in the House voted for a $38 million tax increase on Montana small businesses, renewable energy industry and families, marking the largest tax increase of the session.
This increase came in the form SB 253. This bill will eliminate certain tax credits energy efficiency, biodiesel development and mineral exploration. If Republicans vote the measure into law, it would result in nearly a $14 million tax increase by 2015.
More than 50 small businesses from throughout the state currently benefit from the tax credits and would be hurt by the Republican plan to repeal it.
Democrats have fought this measure, which is sponsored by Republican Senator Bob Lake, every step of the way. The bill must receive a final vote in the House before it can proceed to the Governor. It passed today’s vote by a 51-47 margin.
Today, with a bipartisan majority, the Senate approve Rep. Sesso’s (D-Butte) bill to authorize the construction of the Southwest Montana Veterans’ Home in Butte. If the Senate amendments to the bill are agreed to by the House, it will then go to the Governor to sign into law.
This veterans’ home will meet a crucial need and improve the lives of veterans in Montana. Currently, 1/3rd of our state’s veterans population lives in the southwest corner of the state. Unfortunately, this means veterans who live in that area and need to reside in a veterans’ home must be moved 240 miles to the home in Columbia Falls or over 400 miles to the home in Glendive. Such a large move can often lead to isolation of our veterans from their families.
Democrats have made it a priority to care for our veterans. They fought against Republican efforts to privatize the Columbia Falls veterans’ home, which would have sacrificed the quality of care our veterans receive. In addition, Democrats have pushed measures to ensure veterans returning to civilian life have opportunities to find a good job when they return home.
Democrats understand that veterans have sacrificed for us, we should be willing to do what it takes to ensure they’re cared for.
"We believe that the current budget, heading to the Senate Floor next week, unnecessarily pits Montanans against, creating winners and losers” 