An update from Rep. Nick Schwaderer

Unless we hit unexpected issues or hiccups in the road, our final legislative day (day 90) should land April 27, where the legislature will make a motion for “Sine Die” and we will convene not to meet again until 2015 unless there is a special session.

We are in the fourth quarter of the session and as you are reading this the Senate will hopefully be wrapping up its work on the state budget, HB 2, which already passed the House. After that the bill will go to the House for potential further amendments, then on to a conference committee and the Governor’s office. We have a busy final few days.

SB 175 - a large bill to use oil & gas revenues for property tax relief in offsetting permissive school levy increases; use bonus payments on state lands to provide further property tax relief; reform schools to increase local control in how schools spend their budget; provide for innovations in allowing outcome based standards instead of input based standards; will be heard before my House Education committee this week.

HB 446 - my bill to remove “discharging a firearm not at a shooting range” from the list of disorderly conduct offenses passed the Senate with bipartisan support and is on to the Governor.

SB 350 - a bill to revise the method by which the legislature conducts revenue estimates, will be heard before my House Taxation Committee this week.

SB 96 - a bill to reduce the business and equipment tax, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support, will be heard before my House Taxation committee this week.

HR 5 - a resolution encouraging firearms and ammunition manufacturers to bring their business to Montana (in response to many abandoning states b/c of new predatory regulations) will be heard this week.