Legislative Update
 | Author:
Dr. Jane Gillette, Representative - Montana State Legislature
Representative - Montana State Legislature |
Legislative Update
Dr. Jane Gillette
Representative - Montana State Legislature
Representing HD 77 (Broadwater County, Manhattan, Clarkston, and Willow Creek) at our state capital in Helena is one of the greatest honors of my life. Hands-down, the most rewarding part of being a state legislator is working for my constituents to solve real-world problems that impact their lives. While I love helping my constituents, I hate the politics, and this legislative session has proven particularly frustrating and disappointing.
Going into this session it was abundantly clear that meaningful property tax relief was the single most important goal of the session. I wish that I could report that the legislature will deliver on this, but the only property tax bills which will pass are built upon policies which simply shift the cost of property taxes from one payer to another. To date, there have been 55 bills introduced aimed at addressing property taxes. Four of those bills I sponsored, including a bill which will be signed into law which reduces property taxes on agricultural land.
Despite a plethora of good ideas aimed at meaningful property tax relief, the ordained property tax policy of the session was the “homestead exemption” concept. This policy, which is merely a tax shift to other payers, was supported by Governor Greg Gianforte, democrats, and establishment moderate republicans.
The homestead exemption policy (HB 231) was combined with a democrat property tax policy (HB 155) and imbedded in SB 542. These tax policy concepts were forced on the legislature and presented as the only option, while other good property tax policies were silenced and debate on these policies was – shockingly - not allowed.
While SB 542 results in modest property tax relief for some homeowners in Broadwater County, it increases property taxes for others, including commercial (.83%), agriculture and forest lands (12.42%), and utilities and other various commercial businesses, including agricultural land (18.42%). The gamesmanship that prohibited meaningful property tax solutions has been frustrating, to say the least. In the end, Montanans lose.
Also unsettling is an agenda consisting of massive spending bills funded by taxpayer-generated surplus revenue. These bills are engineered to lock-up those funds forever making them unavailable to future legislatures to appropriate or to return to the taxpayers. It’s my opinion that the revenue from tax collections should only meet the essential requirements of government, such as public safety, education, caring for our vulnerable populations, and stewardship of our state lands and resources.
The tax rate should be set so as not to collect more than what the state needs to meet these essential functions. However, the state is collecting MUCH more than what it needs. In fact, the state had a 2.3B (yes, billion) ending fund balance going into this budgeting cycle. Rather than return this excess to Montana taxpayers, the anointed spending agenda captures surplus funds and holds them, locking them up so that it’s impossible to reduce taxes or spend the funds on essential responsibilities of the state in future years. The end result? More taxes for you despite the fact that the state has collected significantly more in taxes than it needs.
I believe that Montanans deserve better. The posturing, pandering to special interests, and silencing of legitimate, healthy debate that has gone on this session is the exact reason that the public hates politics. I refuse to participate in this disturbing gamesmanship at the expense of my constituents and doing what is right. As the legislative session ends, I will continue to fight for sound policy that puts people before politics. Please email, text, or call me anytime, even if it’s after hours or weekends. I’d love to hear from you.
Phone: 406.868.1549, Email: Jane@DrJaneGillette.com, Facebook: https://www.DrJaneGillette.com
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Representative - Montana State Legislature
