Candidate profile, House District 27: Rep. Paul Tuss, Democrat

Montana Rep. Paul Tuss, D-Havre, is running for reelection this year, a rematch between former Montana House representative Ed Hill, a Republican he beat in the last cycle.

Tuss, the Executive Director of Bear Paw Development, said he's been serving the area for more than two decades, with his organization providing assistance to businesses in five counties and two reservations, experience he said has served him well in the Legislature.

He said his history in economic development familiarized him with the strengths and deficiencies of the Havre area so he could better advocate for policies to help the area,

appropriating $61 million dollars for the Hi-Line last year, including historic investments in Montana State University-Northern.

However, he said, he couldn't have done this without the help of colleagues in the House, including those of the other party, and he thinks this ability to work with others despite political differences is one of his greatest strengths.

"I believe I parlayed my relationships with legislators of both sides of the aisle to be effective," he said. "That's what people want out of their legislatures."

Tuss said despite being a freshman legislator in a Democratic superminority he managed to author two bills that ended up getting signed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, which he thinks is evidence of this strength.

He said so many of the issues that need to be addressed in the Havre area aren't partisan in nature.

Infrastructure needs to be shored up, and public education needs to be better funded, he said, and those don't need to be issues that cause division between left and right.

Indeed, he said, Senate Bill 442, which allocated tax money made from the recently legalized recreational marijuana industry to things like conservation and county roads, gained incredible support from both parties, more than he'd ever seen.

However, the bill was unexpectedly vetoed by Gov. Greg Gianforte just before the Montana Senate adjourned, leaving many legislators unaware of the veto, potentially leaving them without the opportunity to override it, a move that garnered significant criticism from both parties.

Courts recently ordered the state to initiate a mail poll or appeal the decision to the Montana Supreme Court, so the fate of that bill is still uncertain, but Tuss said he's hopeful they will be able to override it in the end.

Even without the governor's unexpected vetoes, he said, the Republican supermajority in the Legislature caused many problems of its own, creating legislation that needlessly micromanages local governments and institutions and infringes on people's rights.

"The other party, in many respects, has become the part of big government," he said.

Tuss said the government shouldn't be telling local governments what to do, telling health departments how to respond to a health crisis, telling libraries what they can and can't offer and telling people what to do about their own health care decisions, as they are already more than equipped to make those decisions themselves.

Another frustration of his, is the recent spike in property taxes, a problem the Legislature anticipated, and one his party proposed a solution to, but one that Republicans ignored, resulting in the recent spike that will hurt many Montana families.

"It's completely unacceptable," he said.

Tuss said fixing that problem is going to be a priority not just for him, but his entire party on day one of the next session.

Another priority will be eliminating the sunset of Medicaid Expansion, he said.

He said it's a vital program to thousands of Montanans and unless the Legislature does something it will go away next year, and he wants to extend it, if not eliminate the sunset entirely.

Despite his frustrations with the 2023 Republican supermajority, he said, he understands that "politics is a contact sport," and all he can do is dust off and get back to it when things don't go how he wants them to.

One thing he wants another shot at in the coming session is a bill that got stuck in the Senate before adjournment, which would have created a revolving door loan fund for small businesses looking to start up or expand.

He said he thinks it would have been a great program and it got some traction before the 2023 session's abrupt end and he'd like to take another swing at getting it passed.

"Montana needs to be a better partner with our business sector," he said.

Tuss said he looks forward to a respectful rematch with his opponent Ed Hill and hopes they will have an opportunity to debate.

"Democracy works best when the voters are presented with both sides," he said.

He said he and Hill have many differences, but he respects anyone who's willing to get into the often-harrowing realm of politics.