Greetings from Helena!
It was an interesting week to have two carbon tax bills to deal with global warming. A couple mornings when I was walking to the Capitol, I was considering sponsoring a bill to make everyone own a SUV to warm things up a bit. In all seriousness, I hope everyone is keeping safe and warm in the frigid temperatures.
HB 229, which was introduced by Representative Bradley Hamlett from Cascade, is a bill clarifying that fossils are not minerals. This bill is an important bill to our area. The necessity for this bill came from a lawsuit where the mineral owners sued the land owner over the rights to own a fossil. I joined many people from SD 18 and Eastern Montana in testifying in favor of this bill.
I have a bill written that I am going to introduce soon that will make it less expensive to build public infrastructure projects in Eastern Montana. This bill will be a challenge because we suspect the Contractors Association and the Unions will fight us. There have been monopolies formed because of state law and those who have the monopoly will resist change.
There are several bills we have heard in Judiciary Committee to revise our justice system. We know our justice system isn’t perfect and would like improvements. However, every bill has a price tag and no guarantee on the return. We are hoping to amend some of these bills so they will be both effective and less expensive.
It is fun to see folks from SD 18 so be sure and let me know if you are coming to the Capitol.
I look forward to hearing from you regarding your questions or concerns. You can contact me by phone 406-989-1372, by e-mail [email protected], or by regular mail Senator Hinebauch Capitol Building PO Box 200500 Helena, Mt 59620-0500
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