HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – On Friday afternoon, local legislators met with a few members of the public to talk about their concerns about this legislative session.
Democratic Representatives Jacob Bachmeier and Jonathan Windy Boy appeared, along with Republican Senator Russ Tempel. Hill County Commissioner Mike Wendland asked about several bills, including one that would do away with suspending people’s driver’s licenses for minor fines, a bill revising laws surrounding the Clean Indoor Air Act and cigar bars, and an airport gas tax bill.
Bachmeier said that his Appropriations Committee passed the main funding bill recently, but says that vote was along party lines. He, like most Democrats, believes that this bill doesn’t do enough for schools or other services and he will continue to fight for more funding. Bachmeier also talked about other bills that would appropriate funding for infrastructure projects, but only a few of them have funding for local projects.
Bachmeier and Windy Boy disagreed on a bill that would create a Montana Community Health Assistance Program and allow some people to work in health clinics or dental offices with only a few years of training. Windy Boy says that the training they receive is not substandard and it follows federal law. Bachmeier opposes the bill, saying it’s not the right way to go about creating this program and the wording isn’t specific enough.
