Legislature finishes week four

We finished up the month of January and the fourth week of the 66th legislative session. This week, one of the things we worked on in Tax Committee was extending the qualified endowment tax credit program. This tax credit has been in place for a number of years and had a sunset that needed to be extended.

In our Education Committee a bill was presented that is designed to make a college student aware of the risks and consequences of student loans. It asks the university system to counsel the students on the loan and such aspects as, the amount of interest, the payment and an estimate on how much they can make in their chosen field. This information is hopefully relayed back to the legislature to determine the future of state supported student loan programs. Additionally, this week, a bill passed the Senate to allow schools to use any money left in their budget to be used for safety. Safety of all kinds is a hot topic for our committee, rightfully so.

On the Senate floor we had a bill that would eliminate the use of corrosive liquid de-icer within 10 years. At this time, the only non-corrosive product that works as well as what is used now costs over $4 more per gallon. This equates to millions of dollars more per year for the Montana Department of Transportation. There is research and testing being done within our university system with the very real hope that one of the students will come up with a product that will work well and not be corrosive. Also, on the floor, we heard a bill that would allow out-of-state aerial coyote hunters. It seems the coyotes are overrunning certain areas of Montana with the resources to handle them not adequately available.

With the weather taking a turn, please be safe.

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Montana Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, can be reached at [email protected]/.