Bill update near the Legislature midpoint
The 65th Montana Legislative Assembly finished its seventh week. Transmittal date is set for March 1. That is when general bills are transmitted to the other chamber. It marks the midpoint of the legislative session.
The following are some bills of interest to the Flathead Valley that are moving through the Legislature. Senate Bill 189 is titled “Revise Protest Provisions for Special Districts.” People in Flathead County can remember when a new E-911 special district was proposed in the fall of 2015. Ballots were sent to affected property owners. At the bottom of the each ballot it said “If this form is not returned, the owner’s lack of action must be construed as support of the creation of the proposed District.” SB 189 removes that language from code and replaces it with language that only the forms returned with an indication of either support for or opposition against the creation of the district may be used. This bill passed the Senate with a 30 to 17 vote.
Senate Bill 159 is titled “Revise Laws to Community Colleges and Bonding.” This bill will allow community colleges to construct certain revenue-producing facilities and pledge revenues from the facilities for repayment of loans and bonds. SB 159 passed the Senate with a 45 to 2 vote.
Senate Bill 139 is titled “Revise K-12 school district expansion laws.” This bill will allow an elementary school district with at least 1,000 ANB to expand into a K-12 school district. Currently there are two K-8 districts in the state that would be affected by this bill — East Helena Elementary and Lockwood Elementary in Billings. SB 139 passed the Senate with a 49 to 0 vote. These bills will now be transmitted to the House. It is important when tracking a bill through the Legislature that the current version of the bill be read. Many bills receive amendments. Those amendments can change the original intent of a bill; sometimes for the good and other amendments for the bad. Bills in the Legislature can be viewed at leg.mt.gov.
Republican Keith Regier represents Senate District 3.