University system at Legislature in Week 7

Montana State University-Northern was in Helena for a legislative meet and greet. Last Monday, the folks from the university system had a presentation for a number of us Legislators from north-central Montana. We were made aware of some of the different crops that oil and fuel are being made with, i.e. camelina, mustard and flax. Currently, some very volatile products are being designed to provide fuel for drones. The idea is to find a lighter fuel source. Chancellor Greg Kegel experimented with fuel and fire while we sat in the room.

A highlight of this week for me was visiting with Jayne Morrow, Ph.D, who works in Research and Economic Development for MSU and through MSU-N. She researches fuels and presented part of fuels presentation. The best part of this story is that Morrow is a north-Montana girl and took the opportunity to move back home. We can only hope that some day all of our Montana kids who want to can come home. Welcome home, Jayne.

The Education Committee had a lot going on. We passed a school safety bill, Senate Bill 132, which has to do with keeping predatory adults out of the schools. Defining acceptable relationships with students, agents of sexual misconduct, and who students can and cannot provide consent to gets pretty complicated. But, on the surface, the bill seems to be doing the right thing; I just hope that is so.

Regarding the bill currently being developed addressing conflicts between fire code and lockdown code, it seems to be a bigger issue than one would have thought. I asked where we were on that and all I got was a head shake and a, “Not yet!”

Another bill we just heard in Education is a bill to allow schools to get the allocated monies direct from the state without it going first to the counties and then being dispersed to schools from there.

Lastly, we heard a bill that would require a voter turnout of 50 percent or more to pass a mill levy. You can check with your county, but I don’t believe very many counties ever get to the 50 percent threshold. Therefore, schools would have a difficult time getting financed.

Have a great week.

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