We are a third of the way through this 61st Legislative Session and the pace is really picking up.  As of now there are 2,312 requests for legislation. This past week there was quite a bit of action on several bills that Montana Promotion Division is currently monitoring.

Thank you to our sponsor Representative Cohenour and everyone involved for their support of the Big Sky on the Big Screen Act.  HB 163 (Cohenour):  Revise tax incentives for motion picture industry passed out of House Appropriations Committee with a vote of 18-2.  This bill is scheduled for second reading on the House Floor tomorrow, Saturday, February 14, 2009. 

Below we have listed introduced bills and all legislative requests that we think might have a direct impact on the tourism and film industries.

Highlights for the week:

HB 9 (Hollenbaugh) Cultural and Aesthetic Grant Appropriations:  Passed the House Joint Appropriations on Long-Range Planning this morning with an amendment.

HB 51 (Brown, Dee) Make state park fee opt in:  This bill would change the option for a person who registers a light vehicle to elect to pay, rather than elect not to pay, an additional fee of $4 to be used for State Parks, for fishing access sites, and for the operation of state-owned facilities which includes those properties managed by the Montana Heritage Commission. This bill was tabled yesterday evening in the House, Fish Wildlife and Parks Committee. 

HB 84 (Wilson) Extend duration of fire emergency:  This bill seeks to allow a state emergency declared as a result of wild land fires to extend beyond the time limit imposed for other emergencies.  This bill passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee (17-1).  It was originally scheduled for second reading today, but they took no action on it.

HB 163 (Cohenour):  Revise tax incentives for motion picture industry. This bill was brought at the request of the Department of Commerce and extends the current sunset of the Big Sky on the Big Screen Act tax incentive to 2015.  The bill passed out of House Appropriations and is scheduled for second reading on the House Floor tomorrow, February 14, 2009.

HB 385 (Ebinger) Fund media institute:  The bill states that the Department of Commerce shall identify professional media arts programs that train workers and appropriates $200,000 from the general fund for the biennium for the support of these programs.  This bill was heard in the House Business and Labor Committee. 

Legislative Activity next week:

HB 438 (Sands) Green Lodging Facility Designation:  This bill creates a new program within the Montana Promotion Division to designate on a voluntary basis green lodging facilities.  It also gives the Tourism Advisory Council the ability to advise the division on how the program should be implemented.  The bill is scheduled to be heard in House Business and Labor on Thursday, February 19, 2009.

SB 329 (Barkus) Revise Automobile Licensing and Insurance Laws:  The bill is scheduled to be heard in Senate Highways and Transportation on Thursday, February 19, 2009.

SB 457 (Branae) Revise Scenic Byways Laws:  The bill is scheduled to be heard in Senate Highways and Transportation on Tuesday, February 17, 2009.

The chart below is for introduced bills that may have direct impact on the accommodation tax or issues important to the tourism and film industry. 

When looking at the status of a bill on this chart, here are some helpful hints:

• Referred to committee means the bill has been assigned to the committee, but the hearing date has not been set.
• Hearing means a hearing is scheduled.

* after status indicates the bill is probably dead

Bill Type - Number	Primary Sponsor	Status	Status Date	Short Title
HB 5	Jon C Sesso	(H) Hearing -- (H) Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Long-Range Planning	01/30/2009; 8:00 AM, Rm 350	Long-range building appropriations -- include energy conservation
HB 9	Galen Hollenbaugh	(H) Hearing -- (H) Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Long-Range Planning	02/13/2009; 8:00 AM, Rm 350	Cultural and aesthetic grant appropriations
HB 51	Dee Brown	(H) Hearing -- (H) Fish, Wildlife and Parks	02/10/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 152	Make state park fee opt in
HB 84	Bill Wilson	(H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading	02/13/2009	Extend duration of fire emergency
HB 150	Dee Brown	(H) Transmitted to Senate	02/07/2009	Montana recreation responsibility act
HB 163	Jill Cohenour	(H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading	02/14/2009	Revise tax incentives for motion picture industry
HB 167	Diane Sands	(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations	01/13/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 102	Funding for Travelers' Rest State Park
HB 190	Kendall Van Dyk	(H) Transmitted to Senate	01/28/2009	Clarify bridge access law
HB 199	Robin Hamilton	(H) Tabled in Committee* -- (H) Taxation	01/20/2009	Revise allocation of lodging facility use tax
HB 229	Gary MacLaren	(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations	01/15/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 102	Fund St.Mary's preservation
HB 239	Bob Lake	(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations	01/21/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 102	Fund restoration and maintenance of Daly mansion
HB 304	Jon Sonju	(H) Transmitted to Senate	02/12/2009	Name portion of US Highway 2 after Highway Patrol officer David Graham
HB 311	Mark Blasdel	(H) Transmitted to Senate	02/10/2009	Name portion of Highway 2 in honor of Evan Schneider
HB 312	Bill Beck	(H) Committee Vote Failed; Remains in Committee -- (H) Taxation	02/12/2009	Increase population requirement for resort tax purposes
HB 329	Dee Brown	(H) Tabled in Committee* -- (H) Taxation	02/12/2009	Donut area population included in resort community population
HB 385	Bob Ebinger	(H) Hearing -- (H) Business and Labor	02/11/2009; 8:30 AM, Rm 172	Fund media institute
HB 438	Diane Sands	(H) Hearing -- (H) Business and Labor	02/19/2009; 8:00 AM, Rm 172	Green lodging facility designation
HJ 15	Mike Milburn	(H) Hearing -- (H) Fish, Wildlife and Parks	02/12/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 152	Study resolution on funding for a recreation and tourism enhancement program
SB 19	Larry Jent	(S) Bill Not Heard at Sponsor's Request -- (S) Fish and Game	02/12/2009	Revise nonresident outfitter license--reciprocity
SB 30	Kelly Gebhardt	(S) Tabled in Committee* -- (S) State Administration	01/09/2009	Revise reimbursement for meals, lodging
SB 117	David E Wanzenried	(H) Committee Report--Bill Concurred -- (H) Appropriations	02/06/2009	Revise or eliminate certain statutory appropriations
SB 118	Verdell Jackson	(S) Bill Not Heard at Sponsor's Request -- (S) Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation	01/07/2009	Create invasive and destructive species council
SB 166	Dave Lewis	(S) Tabled in Committee* -- (S) Local Government	01/27/2009	Allow low-interest coal tax trust fund loans to expand rail passenger service
SB 190	Bob Hawks	(S) Tabled in Committee* -- (S) Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs	01/30/2009	Bed tax for heritage sites, historic preservation, and travel Montana
SB 237	Dave Lewis	(S) 3rd Reading Failed*	02/05/2009	Primary seatbelt enforcement for motor vehicle occupants
SB 309	Jim Shockley	(S) Rereferred to Committee -- (S) Finance and Claims	02/11/2009	Increase lodging and per diem reimbursement for state employees
SB 329	Gregory D Barkus	(S) Hearing -- (S) Highways and Transportation	02/19/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 405	Revise automobile licensing and insurance laws
SB 343	Verdell Jackson	(S) Rereferred to Committee -- (S) Finance and Claims	02/13/2009	Regulation of zebra mussel and other invasive species
SB 457	Gary Branae	(S) Hearing -- (S) Highways and Transportation	02/17/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 405	Revise scenic byways laws
SJ 6	Ken (Kim) Hansen	(H) Referred to Committee -- (H) Business and Labor	01/24/2009	Urge 24-hour operation for Turner port of entry
SJ 13	Ryan Zinke	(H) Committee Report--Bill Concurred -- (H) State Administration	02/03/2009	Commemorate Glacier Park's centennial
SJ 15	Bruce Tutvedt	(H) Referred to Committee -- (H) Fish, Wildlife and Parks	02/03/2009	Urge vigorous defense of gray wolf delisting
SJ 18	Lynda Moss	(S) Hearing -- (S) State Administration	02/11/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 335	Resolution for youth designation of state dog
SJ 23	Lynda Moss	(S) Hearing -- (S) Education and Cultural Resources	02/13/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 303	Resolution promoting Children in Nature

Unintroduced Bills Matching the Search Criteria

Bill Draft No. (LC No.)	Request Date	Requestor	Status	Status Date	Short Title
LC0001	04/25/2007	Jeff Essmann	(C) Draft Request Received	04/25/2007	Uniform local option tourism tax
LC0092	04/14/2008	Joseph (Joe) Tropila	(C) Draft On Hold	10/23/2008	Primary seatbelt law
LC0122	05/22/2008	George G Groesbeck	(C) Draft to Requester for Review	02/11/2009	Funding for national folk festival
LC0827	11/13/2008	Bill Nooney	(C) Draft On Hold	11/26/2008	Generally revise short-term lodging criteria
LC0966	11/17/2008	Deborah Kottel	(C) Draft Canceled*	02/12/2009	Limit liability of host of off-highway vehicle activity
LC1156	12/01/2008	Jim Peterson	(C) Draft in Assembly/Executive Director Review	02/13/2009	Generally revise recreation laws--hunting w permission as recreational use
LC1268	12/02/2008	Mike Menahan	(C) Draft Ready for Delivery	01/07/2009	Revise laws governing heritage commission
LC2052	01/05/2009	Debby Barrett	(C) Draft On Hold	01/06/2009	Revise statutory appropriation law
LC2225	01/16/2009	(H) Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education	(C) Draft On Hold	01/21/2009	Revise lodging facility use tax allocation

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Remember, the legislature has now set up a system for contacting representatives by e-mail. http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/61st/legwebmessage.asp

Until next week…

 

Betsy Baumgart
Division Administrator
Montana Promotion Division
bbaumgart@mt.gov

 

 

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