Fern sets out position on statewide issues

Democrat Rep. Dave Fern returned home to Whitefish last week on a short break as the Montana Legislature hits its midpoint.

Fern, who represents House District 5, says he is enjoying his first term in the state House of Representatives. He said there is a passion for the work from the staff from the pages and support staff to the legislative and legal analysts.

“There is a strong and admirable work ethic from the professionals in the Legislature,” he said. “Montanans are really getting their moneys worth.”

Fern sat down with the Pilot to explain his position on a number of measures that have gotten a fair amount of attention during the first half of the Legislative session.

He opposes a bill that would move Montana State Parks from Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks to the Montana Department of Commerce. The move has been opposed by both affected state agencies claiming the move would come with unintended consequences and expenses.

“The Parks have been under valued,” he said. “There is more potential there to manage them better, but I was concerned about the model proposed. For the time being, we should keep the model there is.”

Fern says he has confidence in the new Director of Fish, Wildlife and Parks Martha Williams to improve management of State Parks.

FWP has requested an additional $11.5 million from the Legislature over the next two years to increase its fight against aquatic invasive species.

Fern said he is impressed by plans to address AIS in the state and significant funding for such efforts. Last November zebra mussel larvae was detected in Tiber Reservoir and “suspect” detections occurred in Canyon Ferry Reservoir and the Missouri River.

“The Flathead Valley delegation is nervous about zebra mussels,” he said. “We will be funding a lot of those programs [for AIS]. This issue is not going to go away and we better get used to funding it.”

Fern currently has a bill being drafted that would allow for a local option tax, if approved by voters, for cities and counties as a way to raise funds for infrastructure projects.

“There is a backlog of infrastructure needs and they don’t have the tools to deal with it,” Fern said.

Senate Bill 94 seeks to provide relief for some Montana homeowners whose property-tax bills have escalated in recent years. The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Keith Regier, is designed to provide relief to full-time residents who are struggling under increasing land values. Fern is a supporter of the bill saying high property appraisals have become a “vexing problem” forcing longtime owners out of their own homes.

Gov. Steve Bullock last month signed House Bill 191 into law. The bill provides an inflationary increase to K-12 base funding through a .5 percent increase of $14 million in fiscal year 2018 and 1.87 percent increase of $33.5 million in fiscal year 2019.

While it is an increase in funding over the biennium, it is less of an increase than was originally proposed — 1.37 percent in FY18 and 1 percent in FY19.

Fern said he would have liked to see the larger funding increase, but ultimately its “good news because schools will get more money.”

Fern says he also supports an increase to special education funding, which hasn’t been increased in many years.

The House rejected a bill that would have allowed teachers and administrators to carry concealed weapons on school property. Fern voted against the bill.

On a bill to create a charter school system for the state, Fern said he voted against the measure because he believes such schools can exist under current state rules and he finds fault with the bill that would exempt such schools from state accreditation standards.

House Bill 325 would allow owners of small herds of dairy cattle, goat or sheep to sell raw, unpasteurized milk directly to consumers. The milk could not be sold to retailers for resale. The bill passed through the House and would require producers to label their products indicating it had not been inspected by the state.

Fern said he voted in favor of the bill even though it’s “not perfect.” He says he is hoping the Senate improves the bill when it takes it on.

“It lacks the testing [of the milk] I’d like to see — I’d like to see more safeguards,” he said. “I think you should let people do what they want as long as there is no liability for the state.”

The House approved a measure that would replace Columbus Day with “Montana Heritage Day” in the state’s public-school system. The bill seeks to change the holiday, which honors an explorer who is often credited with discovering North America. Fern supports the bill.

“When there’s a state holiday it infers we will talk about it in schools,” he said. “This will allow us to de-emphasize Columbus and re-invent the holiday.”

Fern received the most letters so far on a proposed mandate that would have required bicyclists to place a flag on their bike while riding. During his campaign, Fern rode a bike around Whitefish while knocking on doors and attending events.

“It was gently killed because of the practicality of it,” he said. “There was a strong campaign by bicyclists — they were passionate about it saying it was a bad idea.”

On an issue regarding microbrewery production limits, Fern said he also received contact. House Bill 541 would allow small breweries that operate a tap room to increase the yearly amount of beer they can produce from 10,000 to 60,000 barrels.

“We produce a lot of great quality beer and it seems those limits are outdated,” he said.

Fern serves on the House local government, transportation and taxation committees.

“I’m mostly having fun,” Fern said. “It’s long days of reading and being prepared for committees. You learn as much as you can so you can make the best vote on the information you have.”