Vetoes might be overridden

Folks have been asking what a legislator does during the interim (time between legislative sessions). First off, we get assigned to an interim committee and connect with other legislators on the committee. In the past, I have been on the Education Interim Committee and this interim I have been appointed to the Local Government Committee.

Having not been on Local Government before, I reached out to a couple of the members who served on Local Government during session. I wanted to find out if there might be a study that was planned. Nothing yet, but our planning meeting will take place on the 12th of July. In preparation, I have been working on visiting with local officials to ensure I am aware of their concerns and priorities.

Montana Senate District 14 commissioners, whom I have recently met with, have asked why the governor vetoed SB 442, which was a bill to take marijuana tax dollars and use them to fix county roads. With a vote of 130 something yeas to less than 20 nay votes, I and other legislators were surprised with the governor’s veto. As for his reason for the veto, the governor stated something to the effect that the commissioners would just misuse their other road funds. I cannot believe any county in my district would even think about diverting funds when they are always short on road money.

Though this is a frustrating turn of events, we do have a chance for an override on SB 442, which happens when two-thirds or more of the members of each house vote to override the veto, resulting in the bill becoming law. HB 868 must also pass an override to allow spending the funds for county roads. In all, we are dealing with 19 bills that passed by both houses of the Legislature, which were then vetoed by the governor. If you want to check out the list and also see the short title, go to leg.mt.gov/bills/REPORTS/PolledBills.pdf . This will get you the vetoed bills being polled for override by the Legislature, with more coming.

Now a personal bit of information. I am very proud of my wife for becoming the Senior Citizen of the Year for Liberty County. Judy was presented with a plaque, flowers and a big thank-you from many last Tuesday at the Liberty Community and Senior Center. Two of our kids and spouses were there, along with five grandkids and many other family and friends, to cheer her on. For many decades, Judy has volunteered her time and energy to our community by serving for the hospital, museum, 4-H, church and many others. She remains an inspiration and an example of altruism, which she got from her mother, and I can see has been passed to our own children. The full story can be found in the past Liberty County Times. As always, stay safe!

——

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