Legislative Report

After nine intense weeks in Helena, legislators finally got a brief break last week during what is known as “transmittal.” This is the deadline at the halfway point where bills must pass out of their “chamber of origin,” either the House or the Senate. Bills that didn’t pass on either the House or Senate Floor by March 7 are considered dead (with the exception of bills that affect the state’s revenue).

That meant we worked back-to-back 12-plus hour days in order to vote on as many bills as possible. Fortunately, several bills that are very important to me and our district have passed, including permanent property tax relief and the HELP Act.

Reducing property taxes for my neighbors in Senate District 15 is my top priority this session and three key proposals to fix our out-ofcontrol property taxes are still alive.

That includes HB 231, which makes out-of-state homeowners pay their fair share so that we can provide immediate and permanent property tax relief to fulltime resident Montanans. As property tax bills make their way over to the Senate, I am committed to ensuring we provide a real path to lower taxes for Montana homeowners, renters, and small business owners.

I’ve also voted no on several bills that would have raised our property taxes. There’s no point in passing property tax relief if we also pass a bunch of bills that might sound good on the surface but actually, create bigger property tax hikes. Until we fix our property tax problem, I’ll be watching my votes for any bills that don’t provide Montana homeowners with the relief they need.

I’m especially proud that a bill I sponsored, SB 514, passed the Senate on a 47-3 vote and has been transmitted to the House. This bill gives Montana residents 10 full days at the start of upland game bird hunting season before non-resident hunters are allowed to hunt. This bill is important to many of my constituents and I’m proud it passed resoundingly in the Senate.

Finally, I’ve talked a lot about the importance of the HELP Act for keeping our hospitals open and making sure rural Montanans have access to quality healthcare. That bill has now passed in both the House and the Senate and awaits the governor’s signature. This bill is hugely important to make sure local hospitals continue to have enough funding to provide services across our district.

A lot will happen in the final half of the legislative session, and I will be sure to keep you updated on big policy debates and bills that affect our corner of the state.

Please send me an email at Gregg.Hunter@legmt.gov with any questions or opinions on bills we’ll be voting on in the next two months. Thank you for giving me the responsibility to serve you in Helena.