Freshman legislator sets priorities ahead of session

By KATHLEEN WOODFORD

Mineral Independent

Instead of “Mr. Smith goes to Washington,” it was “Mr. Loge goes to Helena,” as Denley Loge headed to orientation in December for his term as Montana House of Representatives for House District 14. While in Helena, one of the three committees he will be on is Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

“We’re seeing a different kind of land owner coming into Montana, they are non-historic cattle ranchers, who block off access and I’ll be keying in on this issue,” said the Republican legislator.

He has land near St. Regis where he raises a small herd of cattle and understands the need for a balance between property rights and public access. Which is one reason he decided to be on the committee.

“A lot of people are moving to Montana and are buying up ranches and other acreage and then fencing it off. I would like to see the state try to keep access open. Entice people to keep private and public lands open. There’s always a balance between keeping our tax base between public and private lands, and access is a big issue,” he said.

As a freshman, he will be joining 100 other members of the House, along with 50 members who make up the Montana Senate. Loge has never held a public office before and so the Helena orientation on Dec. 9 was very educational and helped to prepare him for the upcoming 65th Legislative session. The session will begin on Jan. 2, and run through the end of April.

After winning the election, he thanked his supporters, “as I enter this new adventure, I am excited to represent the constituents of House District 14 and the state of Montana to the best of my abilities. I hope and expect you to help me represent you properly. I know there will be some bumps along the way and a learning curve I must follow, but also know that I am up for the task.”

Loge is a retired snowplow driver after 28 years with the Montana Department of Transportation. He also serves on the Mineral County Soil Conservation Board and worked in private construction for 17 years. The other committees he will serve on are Transportation, and Business and Labor. Committees meet two to three days a week, and sometimes after the Legislative session has ended.

Representatives had to submit bills by Dec. 5 and were able to submit as many as they wanted. However, five needed to be listed as priority. One bill Loge will be introducing is restrictions on cellphone use in construction zones. He said it’s dangerous to have drivers distracted by their phones when there are flaggers and other construction workers so close to the traffic. He would also like to see changes in social programs. “I’m not against social programs, but there needs to be some changes and maybe some cuts. Money shouldn’t be given away freely.”

Jobs are also a high priority on Loge list. He would like to see more focus on technical schools for upcoming high school graduates.

“We lost a lot of push for technical schools for graduating seniors and now we have a shortage of plumbers, electricians, and carpenters. For a while, those jobs were viewed as second rate but they aren’t. They are important and not everyone needs to go to a four-year college. We need to promote vocational schools, and make sure those schools are available and are supported.”

With the Business and Labor committee he wants to see support for coal production, stating that it’s a cleaner industry now than what it was in the past, “people should look at the options available in that industry rather than just shutting it down.”

The legislators live in Helena six days a week and many either find apartments or rent houses. Loge said he’ll be staying in a hotel, for now. They receive a $100 a day per diem, plus about $10.43 per hour for an eight hour day, along with insurance.

They also get four paid trips home, if someone travels home more than that then it’s at their own expense.

Loge said he’d been thinking of running for this office for the past eight year, but prior commitments prevented that from happening. After retiring last December, he decided it was time.

During orientation, representatives were given an overview on how everything worked. Including the organization of the state government, House and Senate and the various committees. They then got to choose three committees they wanted to be on.

Once in session, bills are started in a committee. Members submit an idea for the bill, it then goes to legal, and to bill writers. Once prepared, it is then heard on the floor. Legislators then vote to decide whether the bill will proceed or not. If it proceeds, then it is voted on.

Loge said a big part of the job is meeting everyone and learning about them. This is the way to garner support for your bills, he said. They are in session most of the day, and then usually have committee meetings in the afternoon. A briefing is left for them each evening on what will be presented the next day.

As a freshman, Loge said there are a lot of mentoring meetings with experienced legislators who help coach the newbies on how to submit a bill and give tips on how to network. Loge said he didn’t have a big list of bills to be introduced, only about eight, “freshman usually submit between five to ten.”

“When you first get to Helena, someone described it as ‘it’s like you are trying to get a drink of water out of a fire hose. Everything comes at you all at once, and you can’t handle it’. But, it’s also exciting,” he said. “Everyone goes through this the first time, everyone starts at point zero. I don’t know everything about every issue, but I’ll do what’s best for the most people.”