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Sen. Lang's Montana Legislature update

The 2017 legislative session continues to heat up. The Senate is taking action on more legislation and the budget continues to be the main focus. With the Republican-led Legislature back in town we are doing the hard work of developing a conservative budget that funds essential services and works for all Montanans’. Innovative policy solutions are being crafted to get government out of the way so that the private sector can once again thrive.

I wanted to provide you with an update on the legislation that I am working on in the Senate, SJ 10. North-eastern Montana is very different from the rest of the state and our economy will greatly benefit from President Trump’s announcement to move forward on the Keystone XL Pipeline project. We are expecting that this project could have about $4.5 million economic impact on Phillips County and Valley County could see about $15 million. I am co-sponsoring a resolution that states the legislature’s ardent support for this infrastructure project that will provide good paying jobs for the citizens our communities.

Right now, we are also experiencing a teacher shortage in many rural communities. I am sponsoring legislation that would make it easier for retired teachers to come back to work for these underserved areas. Senate Bill 143 increases the number of years a teacher may return to work after retirement and lowers the number of years of service a teacher must have worked to be eligible to return to the classroom. This common-sense legislation will put more teachers back in the classroom to prepare our students for the future.

As you know, along with our general fund revenue problems our road funding revenue is also experiencing a shortage yet we have much more expenses. Unfortunately, Governor Bullock hasn’t developed a long-term solution to this problem nor has he asked his Department of Transportation to appropriately reduce costs. A great example of this was the proposed $3.2 million round-about project in Lewistown. With many roads and bridges needing attention in our district I couldn’t stand by and allow an over costly pet project in the middle of nowhere to move forward without my input. We held a town meeting with over 200 citizens showing up to oppose the MDT’s decision to bid this project out. County commission from 7 counties surrounding the project have also expressed opposition. I am happy to report that this project has been withdrawn from the bid process and MDT Director Tooley has asked his staff to look at safe but less expensive alternatives to the roundabout. We have many infrastructure needs all over our state and it is time to lead with responsible solutions. I have legislation that will make sure the citizens and local government are informed properly and with ample time to comment with LC 1270.

It is an honor to serve with colleagues like Representative Casey Knudsen and House Speaker Austin Knudsen. These public servants are representing our values very well in the House and we are lucky to have them. I am very excited about the positive outcomes for Montana our Republican-led legislature will produce this session.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. You can also get updates from the Senate GOP Majority on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MontanaSenateMajority) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/MTSenateGOP). If you wish to watch committees or find legislation go to: http://leg.mt.gov/css/default.asp

Senator Mike Lang Senate District 17

Phone: (406) 654-7357 Email: [email protected]

 

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