Thank you for the opportunity to serve.
The 61st legislative session is over, and in my view, Montanans should feel pretty good about the outcome. In a time of economic uncertainty, Montana is one of the few states with a balanced budget. Legislators worked together this session to pass House Bill 2, the main budget bill, and also worked together to pass a bill that appropriated almost $900 million in federal stimulus money. And we left a fund balance, or reserve, of more than $300 million dollars that is available if times get even tougher.
The legislature also provided funds for the Healthy Montana Kids plan, started new programs to deal with mental health in the community, expanded the Insure Montana program for small businesses, and provided new benefits for children with autism.
We passed a stream access bill, and funded our K-12 schools. We provided increases in the state’s contribution to health insurance for state employees, and provided a one time payment for state workers who earn wages below the average.
Some very tough decisions were made as well. The legislature imposed a 2% across the board cut for state government, and increased the level of staff vacancies that agencies will need to keep open. Many good bills died from lack of funding.
We had far fewer bills than prior sessions, and in a House of Representatives that was divided 50/50, ideas needed support from both sides of the aisle to be passed. From my perspective as a first time legislator, the working majority of democrats and republicans did a good job. I was proud to be a part of it, and proud to represent my district. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to serve!
Freshman Session Challenging, Productive
As a new legislator, I found serving in the House to be a fascinating, demanding, and humbling experience. From the swearing in ceremony on January 5th to the final gavel on April 28th, I was proud and enthused to be part of the legislative process. I worked harder than I ever imagined, learned more than I thought possible, and did my best to help make Montana better.
I served on two committees—Business and Labor, and Health and Human Services. During the session I worked especially hard on three areas: health care, workers’ compensation, and issues important to state employees. The bills I worked on are listed in the section at left and below.
I worked harder than I ever imagined, learned more than I thought possible, and did my best to help make Montana better.”
Healthy Montana Kids: My #1 Priority
On November 4th, 2008, voters approved the Healthy Montana Kids plan (HMK) by a 70% margin. The HMK initiative created a dedicated revenue stream to provide health care to about 30,000 uninsured children in Montana through the expansion of both the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Plan, or CHIP. The initiative passed in every county and every legislative district in Montana.
The Healthy Montana Kids plan provided about $20 million dollars a year of insurance premium tax money, which could be matched with about $80 million of federal funds each year, to cover those kids. The money became available when the initiative became law—on November 4th. But the initiative only set aside the funds—legislators still needed to appropriate the money the initiative placed at their disposal.
I introduced House Bill 157 to provide for early implementation of Healthy Montana Kids (HMK). Under my bill, funds would be appropriated on passage and approval of HB 157, so that the Department of Public Health and Human Services could enroll children right away, and could start the work to implement the program. The bulk of the funding for HMK was to be appropriated in House Bill 2, the main budget bill.
My bill was quickly approved by the House Appropriations Committee, and cleared the full House in early February. It went to the Senate and was heard by the Human Services Committee—where it sat for weeks with no action. The Senate wanted to reduce the funding for the Healthy Montana Kids program by half—so the fight was on.
In the end, through lots of hard work and negotiation, a budget compromise was reached that allows HMK to operate as the initiative was written and as voters approved. All 30,000 children will be enrolled as envisioned, and at the poverty levels set in the initiative. Sadly, there will be no early enrollment. The program will not begin until October 1st. House Bill 157, my early implementation bill, was the only real casualty of the dispute. But HMK, as approved by the voters, is on the way, and that is a great thing.
