An update from Senator Jennifer Fielder

Tax Freedom Day: This year, national Tax Freedom Day is April 18. What’s that mean? According to the Tax Foundation, the average American taxpayer will pay an amount equal to 108 days of wages in 2013. In essence, all wages earned from Jan 1 to April 17 can be considered the government’s share of our annual earnings. April 18 is considered tax freedom day because it represents the day you get to start spending (or saving) all of your earnings, your way.

Montana’s tax rates are not as bad as some states, but it is a fight to keep our taxes from going up. The pressure placed on legislators to spend your money is immense. There is an endless supply of good causes in need of funding, but there are only so many funds to go around. How do we prioritize them? I try to emphasize essential functions of government, and allow people to keep more of their money to spend on the charitable causes they feel are most important. Tribal Water Compact update: One of the essential functions of government is the state’s role in securing your water rights. As you may know, I have been working very hard on SB 265 to extend the Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission deadline so the legislature and the public have time to learn about the content and implications of the proposed CSKT agreement.

SB 265 is moving along through the process and may be ready for the governor’s signature very soon. The extension will enable the Compact Commission to do a better job of informing and involving the affected public, while continuing toward finding solutions acceptable to affected parties.

Recent additions to SB 265 will require an interim study of the Compact by the legislature’s Water Policy Interim Committee (WPIC) so the legislature and our staff can review the agreement and seek second opinions if needed. The WPIC committee will meet at least once in each of Sanders, Flathead, Lake, and Lincoln Counties.

I am hopeful that a few new appointments to the Compact Commission together with added public involvement and independent analysis will help bring resolution to this issue. I will continue to keep a very close eye on it, and do everything I can to pursue acceptable solutions.

Cleaning up after Capitol Chaos: Things have settled down quite a bit since the April 5 uproar in the capitol. One thing I would like to clarify is there was a handful of Democrat Senators who did not join their colleagues in the disruptive behavior. Those who damaged the desks have offered to pay for repairs. While I believe they realize their actions that day reflected very poorly on their entire party and the legislature as a whole, I’m sure there are many respectable Democrats who did not condone the outburst. I thank people of all political spectrums who exercise self-restraint, common courtesy, and civility. Sometimes it’s hard, but not many problems are solved by screaming.