It has been a busy and productive week on the hill this past week.   We are closing in on the deadline for the transmittal of appropriation bills on March 26 so many appropriations bills are being heard by the House Appropriations Committee this week.  The House Appropriations Committee is also now focused on HB 645, the federal stimulus package, and it will be debated on the House Floor on Tuesday, March 24.   HB 2, the bill that appropriates general fund money to the various state agencies for the biennium ending June 30, 2011, passed the House Floor in a record one day of debate on Monday.  

Highlights for the week:

HB 5 (Sesso) Long-range building appropriations—include energy conservation:  This bill provides funding for capital needs for state parks and Montana Heritage Commission.  The hearing was scheduled for March 20 in the House Appropriations Committee.

HB 9 (Hollenbaugh) Cultural and aesthetic grant appropriations:  This bill provides funding for the Cultural and Aesthetic Grants that are administered by the Montana Arts Council.  The hearing was scheduled for March 20 in the House Appropriations Committee.

HB 150 (Brown) Montana recreation safety act: This bill states that in some recreational activities there is inherent risk, and it limits the liability of providers of those recreational activities.  The bill was amended slightly and passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 7-5 vote.  It is scheduled for 2nd Reading on the Senate Floor on March 20.

HB 190 (Van Dyk) Clarify bridge access law: This bill deals with the revision to laws related to access to state waters from county roads and bridges; providing that a fence attached to or abutting a country road bridge is not considered an encroachment under certain circumstances.  The bill was heard on March 19, 2009 in the Senate Fish and Game Committee.
 
HB 644 (Sesso) Funding for national folk festival:  This bill would appropriate $300,000 to the Department of Commerce from the state general fund to be used for the National Folk Festival.  This bill was heard in House Appropriation on March 18.  There were several proponents and no opponents.

SB 309 (Shockley) Increase lodging and per diem reimbursement for state employees:  This bill was tabled in the Senate in Finance and Claims Committee.

SB 343 (Jackson) Regulation of zebra mussel and other invasive species:  The bill is scheduled for 2nd Reading on the Senate Floor on March 20.  It was amended slightly in Senate Finance and Claims and passed on a 19-0 vote.

SB 457 (Branae) Revise scenic byways laws:  This bill had a good hearing before the House Transportation Committee on March 18.

SB 506 (Essmann) Uniform local option tourism tax:  This bill provides for a local option tourism tax of 4% on the retail value of tourism goods and services, such as accommodations; prepared meals; alcoholic beverages sold by the drink; rental of automobiles, recreation vehicles, recreational equipment; and on recreational services such as hunting and fishing guide services and guided tours in addition to others.  This bill had a long hearing in the Senate Taxation Committee.     

Legislative Activity next week:

SB 329 (Barkus) Revise automobile licensing and insurance laws:  This is currently a 75 page bill that deals in part with phasing out the specialty license plates and having the license plates replaced by a generic license plate with the option of obtaining specific decals.  The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24, at 3:00 before the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee in room 405.

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) Appropriations	03/20/2009; 8:30 AM, Rm 102	Long-range building appropriations -- include energy conservation
HB 9	Galen Hollenbaugh	(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations	03/20/2009; 8:30 AM, Rm 102	Cultural and aesthetic grant appropriations
HB 150	Dee Brown	(S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading	03/20/2009	Montana recreation responsibility act
HB 163	Jill Cohenour	(S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred -- (S) Taxation	03/12/2009	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	(S) Hearing -- (S) Fish and Game	03/19/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 303	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) Scheduled for 3rd Reading	03/20/2009	Name portion of US Highway 2 after Highway Patrol officer David Graham
HB 311	Mark Blasdel	(H) Returned from Enrolling	03/17/2009	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) Tabled in Committee* -- (H) Business and Labor	02/13/2009	Fund media institute
HB 644	Jon C Sesso	(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations	03/18/2009; 10:00 AM, Rm 102	Funding for national folk festival
HB 645	Jon C Sesso	(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations	03/20/2009; 8:30 AM, Rm 102	Implement receipt of and appropriate federal stimulus and recovery funds
HJ 15	Mike Milburn	(S) Hearing -- (S) Fish and Game	03/17/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 422	Study resolution on funding for a recreation and tourism enhancement program
SB 117	David E Wanzenried	(S) Transmitted to Governor	03/11/2009	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 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) Tabled in Committee* -- (S) Finance and Claims	03/19/2009	Increase lodging and per diem reimbursement for state employees
SB 329	Gregory D Barkus	(S) Hearing -- (S) Highways and Transportation	03/24/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 405	Revise automobile licensing and insurance laws
SB 343	Verdell Jackson	(S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading	03/20/2009	Regulation of zebra mussel and other invasive species
SB 457	Gary Branae	(H) Hearing -- (H) Transportation	03/18/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 455	Revise scenic byways laws
SB 506	Jeff Essmann	(S) Hearing -- (S) Taxation	03/18/2009; 10:00 AM, Rm 405	Uniform local option tourism tax
SJ 6	Ken (Kim) Hansen	(S) Filed with Secretary of State	03/18/2009	Urge 24-hour operation for Turner port of entry
SJ 13	Ryan Zinke	(S) Filed with Secretary of State	03/09/2009	Commemorate Glacier Park's centennial
SJ 15	Bruce Tutvedt	(H) Hearing -- (H) Fish, Wildlife and Parks	03/12/2009; 3:00 PM, Rm 152	Urge vigorous defense of gray wolf delisting

Unintroduced Bills

Bill Draft No. (LC No.)	Request Date	Requestor	Status	Status Date	Short Title
LC0092	04/14/2008	Joseph (Joe) Tropila	(C) Draft On Hold	10/23/2008	Primary seatbelt law
LC0827	11/13/2008	Bill Nooney	(C) Draft On Hold	11/26/2008	Generally revise short-term lodging criteria
LC1156	12/01/2008	Jim Peterson	(C) Draft Ready for Delivery	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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