Letter to the Editor: Hansen, Hess views are not Havre's views

Editor:

Kris Hansen and Stephanie Hess have a lot in common. Both are from Illinois and both are relatively recent transplants to Havre, where they share a house.  

  Both also inexplicably convinced a majority of recent voters that they could better represent them in the Montana Legislature than candidates with lifelong ties and contributions to the Hi-Line.

  Once elected, they continued to follow a strikingly similar path. Hansen, as a state senator, and Hess, as a member of the state House, sided with the far-right wing during the recent Montana legislative session. Let me give you some examples.

  Both voted against meaningful Medicaid expansion, including the Republican plan (Senate Bill 405) that was adopted and signed into law. (Hess and Hansen also let the state provide them with health insurance at a monthly cost per person of $887 year-round as long as they’re in office.)

Both Hansen and Hess voted for SB 143, which would have allowed concealed firearms on Montana college campuses. That bill failed in the House.

Both voted for House Bill 496 to create a public lands task force. That bill was widely seen as the first step in a hugely unpopular effort to privatize Montana’s public lands.  Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed it.

Both voted against the CSKT water compact (SB 262), which was approved and signed into law.

  Both voted against SB 289, which requires public disclosure of “dark money” spent in elections. It was approved and signed into law.

Both Hess and Hansen voted for other bills supported by right-wing elements. For instance, Hess:

• Supported HB 615, which sought to legalize discrimination based on religious reasons. The bill died in the House.

• Voted for HB 274, the radically right “sheriffs first” bill, which was killed by the House.

• Voted for HB 281, to gut the law enforcement powers of game wardens. That bill was killed by the House.   

• Voted for HB 596, which would have changed rules on charter schools. That bill died in a Senate committee.

In the Senate, Hansen, for example:

• Voted for the absolutely needless SB 199 to ban the use of Sharia law in Montana courts. It died in committee.

• Voted against SB 179, which would have made discrimination against LGBT people in Montana illegal. The bill died in committee.   

• Voted against the confirmation (Senate Resolution 53) of Jonathan Motl as Montana commissioner of political practices. He was confirmed.  

The views of Hansen and Hess are not those shared by the majority of Montana legislators or by most people in Havre. Their views seem more in line with those of out-of-state groups like the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity.  

Remember that in future election years.

Karen Datko

Havre