TheJason
Well-known member
Probably because there’s not enough customer base. The area I live in has four Costco’s within 120 mile radius. Every single one of them is booming
Montana 2025 Legislative Session
- Thread starter Nameless Range
- Start date
Gulf of America
Well-known member
Montana's gas tax revenue has barely increased in the last 20 years, but the price of building roads sure as hell has. The legislature has been super opposed to increasing the gas tax, probably at the behest of shipping and tourism (but also their constituents - gas prices increasing is a pretty universal way of pissing folks off), but increased fuel efficiency and now electric cars means less money coming in to somehow fix all the failing infrastructure at once.
SAJ-99
Well-known member
There was an agreement on funds to fix those roads last session. The governor shoved it in a drawer until the session officially ended before saying he vetoing it.
Of note, in WA I pay a higher annual registration for the wife’s hybrid than I do for my truck. And that’s with much higher gas taxes. So it is a fixable problem.
Flynarrow
Well-known member
A couple of sessions ago Missoula tried to institute a small gas local tax to go to road maintenance locally. The Legislature put the hammer down saying municipalities shall not dare do something to help themselves.
There had been a legal county option on the books for ages. Missoula took the $0.02 increase it to voters who approved using the revenue to fund local infrastructure maintenance.
This seems to me like a serious case of legislative overreach, punishing a locality for having politics that differ from their own.
Sorry to keep taking this thread off track taking taxes, but that was some serious BS.
Matt Reiger was quoted as saying “The gas tax might be no big deal for $100,000 a year earners, but for the low-income people it is a big deal.” Hopefully he maintains that way of thinking if the legislature debates a sales tax.
2ski
Well-known member
We voted a few years back to make itnso that local communities couldn't make their own laws that restrict something more than state law didn't we? Is this part of it? So Missoula don't ban conceal carry like they tried to. Or Helena can't have its own vapor ban.
That wasn’t part of it. A gas tax isn’t a restriction. The 1979 legislature passed a law allowing counties to impart a gas tax to fund local transportation maintenance. Missoula County voters said “sure.” The legislature said “nope, not for you guys.”
SAJ-99
Well-known member
The most "big brother" of them are usually the ones that say they are doing it for Freedom and Liberty.
Legislative Services is required to open access to bill junque files* after last week’s court ruling, right? How does Joe Public request said access? I’d be curious to see the sausage ingredients on some of these bills.
*For those unfamiliar, junque files are described as “[A] collection of information that includes key documents such as bill drafts, communications between legislators and lobbyists, and other analyses that shed further light on legislation.”
*For those unfamiliar, junque files are described as “[A] collection of information that includes key documents such as bill drafts, communications between legislators and lobbyists, and other analyses that shed further light on legislation.”
MTelkHuntress
Well-known member
Some more bills.
HB 353: Revise shed hunting requirements
(Require shed hunting license)
HB 283: Revise laws for hunting licenses lotteries
• Allows sheep and moose tags for a lottery
(Like BHA did with the mule deer raffle)
HB 328: Allow hunters over 75 years to use general elk license for cow elk
• 75 years of age or older may use a general elk license to harvest an antlerless elk during any season in a hunting district in which a youth under 15 years of age may harvest an antlerless elk and on privately owned land.
HB 330: Create auction or lottery licenses for antelope and swans
HB 356: Allow livestock loss reimbursement for black bear predation
HB 353: Revise shed hunting requirements
(Require shed hunting license)
HB 283: Revise laws for hunting licenses lotteries
• Allows sheep and moose tags for a lottery
(Like BHA did with the mule deer raffle)
HB 328: Allow hunters over 75 years to use general elk license for cow elk
• 75 years of age or older may use a general elk license to harvest an antlerless elk during any season in a hunting district in which a youth under 15 years of age may harvest an antlerless elk and on privately owned land.
HB 330: Create auction or lottery licenses for antelope and swans
HB 356: Allow livestock loss reimbursement for black bear predation
Rep Cohenour has an amendment to HB 353 (attached) that would change the bill after receiving some feedback from private land owners as well as public land advocates. The amendment would:
1.) Provide a free F1 license (shed hunting) with the purchase of your conservation license if you are a hunter. You are already required to have a conservation license to enter a WMA.
2.) Keep the NR license at $50
3.) eliminate the word possession from new section 1. This was confusing and could be interpreted that you needed a license to simply own sheds. That wasn't the intent, so it is deleted.
4.) Give the Fish & Game Commission the authority to set a shed season so as to protect wildlife on winter range when necessary as well as create a specific season.
5.) Residents maintain an 8 day priority window for shed collection on State WMAs.
HB356 does not spend any license dollars, but simply places Black Bears on the list of critters that the Livestock Loss board pays for in terms of depredation and mitigation. These funds come from the general fund, and the LLB has been running a surplus lately.
antlerradar
Well-known member
I would have been in trouble.
Nameless Range
Well-known member
I've commented on a handful of bills this session through the comment portal, and another via email to my rep, but there's such a flood to the zone that it's difficult to stay involved. Jaded ain't the right word, but it's harder now than it was 10 years ago to justify taking a few hours off of work to go speak to a bill. Like there's a personal capital I don't want to expend unless it's a real big one. I certainly notice in myself that what I used to think were big ones, were often on-net negative, but not worth whinging over beyond speaking up about them and moving on. I admire folks, lobbyists included, who are burning daylight on lots of these bills. I imagine the burnout can be real.
