Helena Legislature after Week 5

The hustle and bustle of the Legislature is in full swing. We are busy in committees from 8 a.m. until as late as 6 p.m. on some days. Our House floor sessions run daily from 1 to 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Bills are coming through to the House floor from the Senate and our House bills are now being read on the Senate floor. We have acted on bills ranging from gun laws to water rights, title insurance to bicycle rules.

You read in the major newspapers and hear on the news, many stories that are not always complete. Information is often left out to make an impression or to get a reaction. In almost all cases, the money has not been spent yet. Money bills are still in discussions, with very deep thought and care for the taxpayers, working on the priorities, past commitments, and monies available.

There is a very real shortage of revenues to spend. The down turn in grain and livestock prices drastically effected agriculture revenues, the oil shutdowns in the eastern part of the state severely cut the revenues there, and as we all have seen, our western timber industry has suffered revenue downturns for years.

As we all know, without money in the budget, spending must be closely scrutinized. This past week there was an issue of running the legislature, which went up 14%. From my understanding, part of that had be negotiated in the last session, and part of that discussion is another point of distraction from money missing when we showed up in Helena.

We still have lots of work to accomplish in Helena. We have aquatic invasive species, zebra muscles, and other aquatic problems to work on that threaten our economy. We have weeds spreading on our public lands that needs to be aggressively attacked. Healthcare, home health, elderly care, and mental healthcare are all issue we are still working on. Top concerns currently being discussed are jobs and the environment. Again, I say keep in mind the funds in this session are in short supply.

Please feel free to contact me with any information or questions. My cell ringer will be off but call 1-406-544-5220 or e-mail DenleyLogeHD14@gmail.com or leave a message on the house floor at 1-406-444-4800

Denley M. Loge, a St. Regis Republican, represents HD 14.