We the People: Taking back local control

There is so much to write about I am not sure where to start. Today we had a morning where business owners from across the state here to tell legislators what needed to be done to revitalize Montana’s economy. This is the first time an event like this has ever occurred during a session. All information was given by the public. Legislators listened, some took many notes. I was in a group of the latter.

The message came across loud and clear from the folks in agriculure, timber, mining, tourism and labor. Comments carried a similar theme; too many restrictions on private property rights, property taxes too high, no more buying land for public use, get rid of the business and equipment tax, increase natural resource use, control predators, federal government has too many regulations, government competing with private business, increase access to biomass fuels, reduce environmental litigation, and address the workers compensation costs to business are just a few. An example of the workers comp problem was one business owner wanted to start a business that would employee about 50 people. His start up costs for workers comp alone was to be about $260,000. He is reconsidering his decisions. No wonder people do not have jobs. In a nutshell, I can tell you what people want. They want far less government.

Many of the issues we heard today could be resolved with a law proposal I am sponsoring. I call it the Montana Coordination Act of 2011. It has now been assigned a bill number, SB117. The short title states, “An act requiring local governments, certain special districts, and school districts to demand coordination from the federal government under certain circumstances: providing a procedure for demanding coordination; providing a procedure for a person to serve a local governing body, special district board, or school district board of trustees with a written complaint if the entity fails to comply with certain requirements; requiring that public hearings be held under certain circumstances; and amending sections 7-1-114, 7-1-2103, 7-1-4124, 7-11-1021 and 20-3-324, MCA”

This bill proposal is modeled after a law passed by the Arizona legislature and signed into law. I met with legislators from Washington and Idaho who are doing the thing in their respective states. In essence the law requires the federal government to come to the table and coordinate with local jurisdictions on issues that the local jurisdiction believes is necessary. For example, a school district that has had their funding restricted do to the reduction in timber receipts can require the USFS to coordinate with them and that the USFS would have to provide the timber products necessary to meet that need. Another example, if the power plant in Sanders County were to convert to biomass fuel, the local government can require the USFS to coordinate and supply the fuel necessary to run the plant. There was a problem in Mineral County recently where the EPA did not follow through on their commitment to hire local people on the Superfund clean up in Superior. If this law were in effect at the time, the local jurisdiction could have required the EPA to do so. I might add this is accordance with existing federal law. This is a job enhancing bill and gives control of your government back to the local level. The law is working in many other areas. There are many who say they are concerned about the economy and jobs. We shall see if they support this bill or not. That is when the rubber meets the road.

You may contact me at 406-444-4800, email at ghinklesd7@gmail.com or snail mail at Senator Greg Hinkle, P.O. Box 200500, Helena, MT. 59620.