Here’s where we stand. Well sort of. Lots of balls in the air. Some we catch. Some we muff.
Please email (or call on Monday) all members of Senate Education. Tell them, politely please, to just kill HB 376 – charter schools. HB 376 has passed the House and will be heard Monday in Senate Education. Sen. Dan Salomon who chairs the committee claims no one ever emails him. Hmmm . . .
Whatever, If House Education can table HB 423 - pay vouchers, surely Senate Education can table HB 376.
(S)Education and Cultural Resources
Sen. MARK BLASDEL (R)--Vice Chair
Sen. CYDNIE ( CARLIE ) BOLAND (D)
Sen. TOM FACEY (D)
Sen. LLEW JONES (R)
Sen. EDIE MCCLAFFERTY (D)--Vice Chair
Sen. KEITH REGIER (R)
Sen. DANIEL 'DAN' SALOMON (R)--Chair
Sen. RUSSEL 'RUSS' TEMPEL (R)
ef
As of March 25
Every bill we have lobbied is not in this list. Bills tabled last week or before are NOT included in this list. Bills tabled this immediate past week will not be included in the next list.
Significant bill hearings Monday March 27.
· HB 458
· HB 473
· SB 338
· SB 354
· HB 376
Bills we support
HB 13 (Funk) – Heard House Appropriations. State pay plan. Appropriates $18.7m over the biennium to increase state employee pay 1% each year. Modest, affordable, and necessary.
HB 191 (Berglee) – Fiscal Note. Passed legislature. Signed into law. Inflates basic and per pupil entitlements plus payments for American Indian Achievement, Indian Education for All, Data for Achievement, and Quality Educator .05 in year one and 1.87% in year two of the biennium. $47m new dollars over the biennium.
HB 387 (Wagoner) – Fiscal Note. Passed House - Vote. Hearing Senate Health, Welfare, and Safety March 29. Authorizes 12-bed assessment and stabilization unit (ASU) for seriously impacted patients and gives the Montana Developmental Center two more years to close effective June 30, 2019.
HB 390 (D. Jones) – Fiscal Note. Passed House – Vote. Referred to Senate Education. Fixes a school enrollment estimate issue and appropriates dollars to generate a boatload of e-rate dollars.
HB 458 (Wagoner) – Passed House – Vote. Hearing Senate Health, Welfare, and Safety March 27. Authorizes oversight of care for former Montana Developmental Center patients.
HB 473 (Garner) – Fiscal Note. Passed House 2d Reading. Hearing House Appropriations March 27. Increases Montana motor fuels tax.
HB 563 (Kelker) – Fiscal Note. Tabled House Education. Creates Montana preschool grant program.
SB 103 (L. Jones) – Passed Senate – Vote. Passed House - Vote. Clarifies “that a school district’s obligation to provide the minimum aggregate hours does not apply to pupils demonstrating proficiency in content ordinarily covered by instruction.”
SB 115 (Moe) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate - Vote. Passed House – Vote. Provides state funded stipend for National Board Certified Teachers. VICTORY!
SB 260 (L. Jones) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate - Vote. Heard House Appropriations. Creates school facilities fund within the coal severance tax trust fund. Companion bill to SB 307.
SB 294 (Fitzpatrick) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate – Vote. Heard House State Administration. Revises laws governing state employee pay plans. Eliminates pay bands and codifies the office of budget and program planning responsibility to “review and approve any proposed changes to the classification of an occupation or its related job evaluation factors” and monitor the way each agency compensates its employees.”
SB 305 (Fitzpatrick) – Passed Senate – Vote. Heard House Judiciary. Authorizes county election officials to conduct this spring’s special Congressional election by mail. Passed the Senate but has run into a Republican Party leadership directed voter suppression buzz saw.
SB 307 (L. Jones) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate - Vote. Heard House Education. Revises school funding “laws to address facilities.” Combined with SB 260, SB 307 is the best school facilities funding bill we are going to see in this legislature.
SB 338 (Ankney) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate Energy. Hearing Senate Finance March 27. Revises laws related to closure of certain coal fired generation plants (Colstrip’s 1 & 2).
SB 350 (McClafferty) – Heard Senate Tax. Revises tax rates for high income earners.
SB 354 (Caferro) – Hearing Senate Tax March 27. Increases tobacco tax $1.50.
Bills we oppose
HB 280 (Brodehl) – Passed House - Vote. Passed Senate Judiciary. Authorizes legislators to carry handguns on state property including our state Capitol. Ridiculous. Why not arm lobbyists?
HB 376 (Windy Boy) – Fiscal Note. Legal Review Note. Passed House – Vote. Hearing Senate Education March 27. Establishes local district charter schools chartered through a politicized state charter commission, “not subject to the general supervision of the board of public education or the accreditation standards.” In addition to bad public policy HB 376 is an unconstitutional frontal assault on the board of public education and school accreditation and teacher licensure standards. Further nothing prevents a school district from working with the board of public education to establish a charter school or schools pursuant to rule – 10.55.604.
HB 423 (Berglee) – Fiscal Note. Legal Review Note. Tabled House Education. Creates pay vouchers (a mix of state and local public school taxpayer dollars) for special needs kids, 504 kids, military dependents, and all their siblings to go to any school they want anywhere in the world. Atrocious public policy, abject misappropriation of public funds, and unconstitutional. Governor Bullock vetoed this same bill last session.
HB 594 (Lentz) – Tabled House State Administration. Requires “Montana Historical Society Board of Trustees to sell certain objects to fund the construction of the Montana Heritage Center.”
HB 609 (Glimm) – Heard House Judiciary. Authorizes a legislative referendum to require governments and public schools to enforce gender specific restroom usage pursuant to a “person’s immutable biological sex.” Imposes possible civil penalties on government and public schools that fail to enforce the law. Apparently a gaggle of legislatures want to look like North Carolina.
SB 99 (C. Smith) - Passed Senate – Vote. Heard House Judiciary. Prohibits enforcement of federal firearms laws by Montana public employees. Basically, a state’s rights nullification bill. Embarrassing.
SB 143 (Lang) - Passed Senate – Vote. Passed House - Vote. Returned to Senate to approve House amendments or not. Amends an already too permissive existing law that permits a retired educator (teacher or administrator) under certain circumstances to be reemployed and continue to draw retirement benefits. SB 143 presents a potential, long-term threat to our ongoing efforts to amortize the Teachers Retirement System and on a case by case basis closes the door on teaching opportunities for newer, younger educators. SB 143 may provoke other creative proposals to use and abuse our retirement system in ways that violate the constitutional purpose and amortization of TRS.
SB 297 (Hinkle) – Passed Senate – Vote. Tabled House State Administration. Authorizes property tax owners who live out of district to vote in public school bond and mill levy elections.
SB 351 (Barrett) – Heard Senate Tax. Proposes constitutional amendment to prohibit a statewide general sales or use tax. Requires 2/3ds vote of the legislature.
Bills we watch
HB 2 (Balance) – Passed House. Hearings Senate Finance ongoing. Authorizes state general fund appropriations for the biennium.
HB 647 (D. Jones) – Heard House Appropriations. Proposes significant changes in public school funding. Companion bill to HB 2.
SB 139 (Ankney) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate. K-12 secession.
Please email (or call on Monday) all members of Senate Education. Tell them, politely please, to just kill HB 376 – charter schools. HB 376 has passed the House and will be heard Monday in Senate Education. Sen. Dan Salomon who chairs the committee claims no one ever emails him. Hmmm . . .
Whatever, If House Education can table HB 423 - pay vouchers, surely Senate Education can table HB 376.
(S)Education and Cultural Resources
Sen. MARK BLASDEL (R)--Vice Chair
Sen. CYDNIE ( CARLIE ) BOLAND (D)
Sen. TOM FACEY (D)
Sen. LLEW JONES (R)
Sen. EDIE MCCLAFFERTY (D)--Vice Chair
Sen. KEITH REGIER (R)
Sen. DANIEL 'DAN' SALOMON (R)--Chair
Sen. RUSSEL 'RUSS' TEMPEL (R)
ef
As of March 25
Every bill we have lobbied is not in this list. Bills tabled last week or before are NOT included in this list. Bills tabled this immediate past week will not be included in the next list.
Significant bill hearings Monday March 27.
· HB 458
· HB 473
· SB 338
· SB 354
· HB 376
Bills we support
HB 13 (Funk) – Heard House Appropriations. State pay plan. Appropriates $18.7m over the biennium to increase state employee pay 1% each year. Modest, affordable, and necessary.
HB 191 (Berglee) – Fiscal Note. Passed legislature. Signed into law. Inflates basic and per pupil entitlements plus payments for American Indian Achievement, Indian Education for All, Data for Achievement, and Quality Educator .05 in year one and 1.87% in year two of the biennium. $47m new dollars over the biennium.
HB 387 (Wagoner) – Fiscal Note. Passed House - Vote. Hearing Senate Health, Welfare, and Safety March 29. Authorizes 12-bed assessment and stabilization unit (ASU) for seriously impacted patients and gives the Montana Developmental Center two more years to close effective June 30, 2019.
HB 390 (D. Jones) – Fiscal Note. Passed House – Vote. Referred to Senate Education. Fixes a school enrollment estimate issue and appropriates dollars to generate a boatload of e-rate dollars.
HB 458 (Wagoner) – Passed House – Vote. Hearing Senate Health, Welfare, and Safety March 27. Authorizes oversight of care for former Montana Developmental Center patients.
HB 473 (Garner) – Fiscal Note. Passed House 2d Reading. Hearing House Appropriations March 27. Increases Montana motor fuels tax.
HB 563 (Kelker) – Fiscal Note. Tabled House Education. Creates Montana preschool grant program.
SB 103 (L. Jones) – Passed Senate – Vote. Passed House - Vote. Clarifies “that a school district’s obligation to provide the minimum aggregate hours does not apply to pupils demonstrating proficiency in content ordinarily covered by instruction.”
SB 115 (Moe) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate - Vote. Passed House – Vote. Provides state funded stipend for National Board Certified Teachers. VICTORY!
SB 260 (L. Jones) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate - Vote. Heard House Appropriations. Creates school facilities fund within the coal severance tax trust fund. Companion bill to SB 307.
SB 294 (Fitzpatrick) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate – Vote. Heard House State Administration. Revises laws governing state employee pay plans. Eliminates pay bands and codifies the office of budget and program planning responsibility to “review and approve any proposed changes to the classification of an occupation or its related job evaluation factors” and monitor the way each agency compensates its employees.”
SB 305 (Fitzpatrick) – Passed Senate – Vote. Heard House Judiciary. Authorizes county election officials to conduct this spring’s special Congressional election by mail. Passed the Senate but has run into a Republican Party leadership directed voter suppression buzz saw.
SB 307 (L. Jones) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate - Vote. Heard House Education. Revises school funding “laws to address facilities.” Combined with SB 260, SB 307 is the best school facilities funding bill we are going to see in this legislature.
SB 338 (Ankney) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate Energy. Hearing Senate Finance March 27. Revises laws related to closure of certain coal fired generation plants (Colstrip’s 1 & 2).
SB 350 (McClafferty) – Heard Senate Tax. Revises tax rates for high income earners.
SB 354 (Caferro) – Hearing Senate Tax March 27. Increases tobacco tax $1.50.
Bills we oppose
HB 280 (Brodehl) – Passed House - Vote. Passed Senate Judiciary. Authorizes legislators to carry handguns on state property including our state Capitol. Ridiculous. Why not arm lobbyists?
HB 376 (Windy Boy) – Fiscal Note. Legal Review Note. Passed House – Vote. Hearing Senate Education March 27. Establishes local district charter schools chartered through a politicized state charter commission, “not subject to the general supervision of the board of public education or the accreditation standards.” In addition to bad public policy HB 376 is an unconstitutional frontal assault on the board of public education and school accreditation and teacher licensure standards. Further nothing prevents a school district from working with the board of public education to establish a charter school or schools pursuant to rule – 10.55.604.
HB 423 (Berglee) – Fiscal Note. Legal Review Note. Tabled House Education. Creates pay vouchers (a mix of state and local public school taxpayer dollars) for special needs kids, 504 kids, military dependents, and all their siblings to go to any school they want anywhere in the world. Atrocious public policy, abject misappropriation of public funds, and unconstitutional. Governor Bullock vetoed this same bill last session.
HB 594 (Lentz) – Tabled House State Administration. Requires “Montana Historical Society Board of Trustees to sell certain objects to fund the construction of the Montana Heritage Center.”
HB 609 (Glimm) – Heard House Judiciary. Authorizes a legislative referendum to require governments and public schools to enforce gender specific restroom usage pursuant to a “person’s immutable biological sex.” Imposes possible civil penalties on government and public schools that fail to enforce the law. Apparently a gaggle of legislatures want to look like North Carolina.
SB 99 (C. Smith) - Passed Senate – Vote. Heard House Judiciary. Prohibits enforcement of federal firearms laws by Montana public employees. Basically, a state’s rights nullification bill. Embarrassing.
SB 143 (Lang) - Passed Senate – Vote. Passed House - Vote. Returned to Senate to approve House amendments or not. Amends an already too permissive existing law that permits a retired educator (teacher or administrator) under certain circumstances to be reemployed and continue to draw retirement benefits. SB 143 presents a potential, long-term threat to our ongoing efforts to amortize the Teachers Retirement System and on a case by case basis closes the door on teaching opportunities for newer, younger educators. SB 143 may provoke other creative proposals to use and abuse our retirement system in ways that violate the constitutional purpose and amortization of TRS.
SB 297 (Hinkle) – Passed Senate – Vote. Tabled House State Administration. Authorizes property tax owners who live out of district to vote in public school bond and mill levy elections.
SB 351 (Barrett) – Heard Senate Tax. Proposes constitutional amendment to prohibit a statewide general sales or use tax. Requires 2/3ds vote of the legislature.
Bills we watch
HB 2 (Balance) – Passed House. Hearings Senate Finance ongoing. Authorizes state general fund appropriations for the biennium.
HB 647 (D. Jones) – Heard House Appropriations. Proposes significant changes in public school funding. Companion bill to HB 2.
SB 139 (Ankney) – Fiscal Note. Passed Senate. K-12 secession.
