Committees getting into full swing in Helena

Early in the session, not a lot of major business takes place on the floor of the House of Representatives. The committees are getting into full swing hearing the bills that have been introduced, and that workload will increase as legislators introduce more bills every day.

Following are some of the activities in my three committee assignments.

• State Administration and Veterans’ Affairs

SAVA has mostly seen “clean up” bills from the Secretary of State’s Office. On Wednesday, we looked at a bill which sought to improve the Teachers’ Retirement System.

The TRS is in good shape and is set to amortize in 24 years, which is ahead of the industry standard of 30 years. Simply put, to amortize a retirement system is to fully fund a retirement system. Most of the government-run retirement systems are healthy and meet industry standards. However, it will be the goal of the Montana Legislature to fix the Game Warden Retirement System and Sheriffs’ Retirement System.

I have introduced House Bill 39, an important bill for those Montanans who have volunteered to serve our State and nation in uniform. House Bill 39 adopts a current uniform set of standards for the Montana National Guard from the United States Military. The purpose is to ensure a smooth transition between the National Guard and the U.S. Military.

• Education

The Education Committee has been busy. House Bill 191, sponsored by Chairman Rep. Seth Berglee, to provide base funding to schools, passed committee. Unfortunately, House Bill 31, 32 and 33, which sought to fund special education, were all tabled. I believe that this was a tragic loss for public education. It is important to understand that if Montana does not pass funding bills for special education to meet the state share, the burden shifts to the local school districts and local property taxpayers.

Today, I will be presenting House Bill 161, which funds the unfunded tuition waivers mandated by the State of Montana. These waivers provide needed assistance for many Montanans, but unless the legislature provides the funding for them, the costs transfer to other students’ tuition costs.

• Agriculture

The Agriculture Committee is full of lively personalities and people who work well across the aisle with each other. However, that does not mean we are controversy-free. Passions are sure to flair over raw milk and free roaming bison. Tuesday, I had the pleasure of bringing my first bill before the Agriculture Committee, which eliminated a defunct vertebrate pest management committee from the Department of Agriculture and provides an updated definition of vertebrate pest.

•Budget Cuts

Budget subcommittees have just made large budget cuts affecting many families in Montana. For example, they propose to remove $42 million from Senior Services and Long-Term Care. They have cut $24 million from public education, shifting the burden to local property taxpayers. The $23 million reduction to the University System will force large tuition increases on Montana students from middle class families. Cuts may be necessary, but we need to use a scalpel when dealing with critical services, not an axe.

Contact Me

As always, I am interested in hearing from you. You may leave me a message with the Legislative switc House Billoard at 406-444-4400, or email me at [email protected] Please be sure to leave sufficient contact information so that I can get back to you.

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Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Havre, represents House District 28.