Legislators talk issues, set rest of video conference schedule

Local legislators in Helena talked about several bills in the Legislature during the video conference in Havre Tuesday and set the schedule for future video conferences, sponsored by the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce and Havre Public Schools.

Rep. Wendy Warburton, R-Chinook, said a bill she sponsored, House Bill 600, to allow insurance companies to consider gender in setting premiums — excluding health insurance — is up for a hearing Friday.

"The goal is to hopefully quickly and easily put some money back in people's pockets," she said.

Havre City Council member Rick Dow congratulated Warburton for sponsoring the bill and noted that she made the top spot on the Website of liberal blogger Montana Cowgirl.

"If you tick them off you're probably doing the right thing," he said.

"Anonymous blogs don't rank too highly in my credibility," Warburton said.

Havre City Council Chair Andrew Brekke, a Havre insurance agent, said his industry supports Warburton's bill.

He also asked Sen. Greg Jergeson, D-Chinook, about House Bill 280, which would allow health insurance outside of Montana to market their product in the state. The Senate passed the bill 28-20 and returned it to the House.

Jergeson said he voted against the bill, not that he had a problem with greater availability or competition in health insurance, but it could allow companies to offer policies that excludes coverage that is required in the state.

Brekke said that, as an insurance agent, he thinks people who are shopping for insurance should be given more credit.

Rep. Mike Lang, R-Malta, said he also gives credit to the insurance agents in helping people to find the best coverage. For example, he said, people shopping for coverage related to autism would be able to buy from a company in Arizona, which is considered to have the best coverage for that condition.

Rep. Kris Hansen, R-Havre, said several bills that would provide some $300 million in tax relief, including on business equipment taxes and property taxes, is back in the Appropriations Committee.

She said people who support that tax relief need to contact representatives of Gov. Steve Bullock's office and their legislators to lobby in favor of it.

"If you have any input on that please email or call the members of the appropriations committee," she said.

Hansen also discussed an agreement between the Legislature and Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian that would tie some university funding to performance.

"That is a milestone, actually … ," Hansen said. "That is new, and we're excited about moving forward with that."

Montana State University-Northern Chancellor Jim Limbaugh said the university system already is looking at those requirements, and is willing to do its part in implementing it.

"We're already working on how we're going to handle that," he said.

Hansen added that the Legislature is aware that Limbaugh is implementing a review of programs at Northern to find successful programs and to improve the university's programming.

"We would strongly encourage you to keep that up, because it has not gone unnoticed here," she said.

Lang asked about how the Havre Chamber feels about a proposal that would allow county commissioners to implement a $5-a-day bed tax to help pay for infrastructure improvements, which he said is primarily intended to target the Bakken oil development area in northeastern Montana.

Brekke said that Chamber Executive Director Debbie Vandeberg — who had to leave the session early to attend events at Highland Park Early Primary School in observance of National Agriculture Day — had said at previous meetings that local hotel and motel owners were opposed to the bill.

Lang said that he could understand the concerns, but as it is up to county commissioners to implement, it could be targeted and help areas that need help with expenses.

"It could build a fund pretty fast," he said.

At the start of the meeting, Vandeberg and the legislators also discussed upcoming video conference schedules, agreeing to hold another conference next Tuesday, but to cancel the April 2 meeting — the day the Legislature reconvenes after Easter — and to hold another conference April 9.

The group tentatively set that as the last video conference, with Vandeberg saying that late in the session it likely would be difficult to get the lawmakers freed up to attend.