SB155: An out-of-state overreach

Editor,

Senate Bill 155 is an egregious overreach by out-of-state groups to take local control from Montanans. This bill would change Montana seed laws and take away power from the hands of our local officials, which is where it has been for decades and where it should stay.

The language from SB155 can be found in several other state legislatures right now, all developed by a pay-to-play group funded by Monsanto, Dow, and the Koch brothers. Well, Montanans aren’t about to be duped by a few billionaires — or are we?

The billionaires pushing this bill are trying to centralize all of the power in areas of the government that are inaccessible to regular people, and farmers like me.

Right now, we are seeing more and more how hard it is to accomplish things at the federal and state levels, but I know my local officials because they are my neighbors. I prefer to work with them on local issues, rather than strangers who don’t understand how we work out here in Olive, Montana.

So, why is our legislature taking away local control of what is grown in our communities? Power and money.

While they are trying to say that they are saving local producers from mythical groups that want to prevent you from using specific seeds, what about the other side where the state is trying to force us all to use certain seeds that contaminate everyone else’s fields?

Tell Gov. Steve Bullock to veto SB155.

Walter Archer

Olive