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Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gianforte presses Legislature to pass property tax relief bills during Kalispell visit
Apr. 24—Despite an ongoing legislative stalemate, Gov. Greg Gianforte stuck firmly to his vision for fiscal relief at a press conference in Kalispell on Wednesday. While visiting the Rancher's Daughter, an Idaho Street farm-to-table retailer, Gianforte unveiled a poster outlining key agenda items from his 2025 State of the State address. "We can't check off property taxes or income taxes yet," he acknowledged. "Or the budget or judicial reform." The solitary success on the board was higher teacher starting pay. Gianforte checked off the box before a crowd of about a dozen people, saying he plans to sign the STARS Act, which contributes $100 million toward raising teacher starting pay, after the Senate passed it on Tuesday. As far as his fiscal objectives for the state, Gianforte maintained that "there's still time" for bills to reach his desk before the Legislature's May 5 deadline. Gianforte declined to comment on the bills currently awaiting his review, including an income tax bill introduced by Speaker of the House Brandon Ler, R-Savage. Instead, he focused on the property tax legislation currently under debate in the House and Senate. "As I said, we have very clear priorities. We need to give property tax relief. I think it needs to be permanent, meaningful, and it's got to be targeted to Montana homeowners, renters and small businesses," said Gianforte. The governor's proposal, which raises taxes on second homes and short-term rentals while reducing them on primary residences and long-term rental properties, is among the bills still in contention. As to the financial burdens Montanans may face because of the tariffs levied during the ongoing trade war initiated by the Trump administration, Gianforte acknowledged there would likely be "a little disruption." A report from the Budget Lab at Yale estimates that the tariffs put in place on April 2 alone will cost U.S. households an average of $2,100 per year. But he argued that the tariffs, which are a tax on imported goods, would benefit businesses and consumers in the long run. "I think the president's been very clear. He's using tariffs as a negotiation tool," said Gianforte. Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at hsmalley@ or 758-4433.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Major education bill advances, would boost starting teacher pay
Photo illustration by Getty Images. Sen. John Fuller championed a $55 million education bill by reminding the Senate of his fiscally conservative values. 'Some of you may know that I'm so tight, I squeak when I walk, but I do support public education, and I support it fiercely,' Fuller, R-Kalispell, said on Tuesday. Sen. Sara Novak, a Democrat from Anaconda, said House Bill 252 isn't perfect, but it's a step in the right direction, and it will help especially small rural schools and young educators. 'It is some much-needed funding to our public schools to directly impact our teacher wages and specifically our beginning teacher wages,' Novak said. The Senate voted 40-10 in favor of the STARS Act, or Student and Teacher Advancement for Results, sending it to the Senate Finance and Claims Committee for a closer fiscal analysis. It's among the bills to help public schools that one supporter said bolsters education without adding undue stress to already beleaguered residential property taxpayers. Montana has struggled to increase starting teacher pay, and a proposal from the 2023 legislative session didn't work as planned. Backed by the Governor's Office, HB 252 earned bipartisan support, although some critics said it doesn't do enough for veteran teachers, who also need to be paid well. Sponsor and Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, has said the bill aims to fix an ongoing problem, which is low pay for beginning teachers, and the state doesn't have unlimited funds. The bill would spend more than $110 million from the general fund in the biennium, according to the most recent fiscal analysis. It also has other provisions to support education, such as incentives for academic achievement for students and tools to help teachers in areas with high housing costs. After the Senate floor vote, Lance Melton, with the Montana School Boards Association, said funding proposals before the legislature, including the STARS Act, have been written to guard against a spike in local property taxes. Property tax income goes in part toward public schools. 'All of those proposals have two — front and center — primary stakeholders, the child and the taxpayer,' Melton said. The fiscal analysis estimates an increase to local school property taxes of $800,000 a year, but those dollars are associated with housing support voters might approve through local levies, not incentives for teachers. Melton pointed also to House Bill 483 and House Bill 515, which both passed out of the House with bipartisan support and are in the Senate. Sponsored by Rep. Courtenay Sprunger, R-Kalispell, HB 483 would take any revenue growth that exceeds the state's obligation to a school equalization fund and return it to taxpayers. It has other Republicans and Democrats as co-sponsors and passed with a bipartisan 87-11 vote out of the House. House Bill 515, sponsored by Rep. Linda Reksten, R-Polson, would in part help schools with major maintenance costs without asking property taxpayers for a levy or a bond. On the House floor, Reksten said it has support from the Governor's Office. She said the bill transfers $75 million of one-time-only money from the general fund surplus to fill the school facilities trust fund — without affecting property taxpayers. It passed out of the House on a bipartisan 73-25 vote.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Montana Federation of Public Employees members rally at Capitol
Amanda Curtis, president of the Montana Federation of Public Employees, describes successes of the union at the 2025 Montana Legislature, urges more union members to run for office. (Keila Szpaller/The Daily Montanan) 'Union busting bills' and a school voucher bill that threatened to siphon $100 million from public schools were on the table earlier this session, said Amanda Curtis, president of the Montana Federation of Public Employees. And back in February, the state pay play wasn't scheduled for a hearing in the Senate yet, she said. But despite snowstorms and single digit temperatures, union members showed up to engage with lawmakers, Curtis said. 'Because we broke bread and had thoughtful, one-on-one conversations with legislators of both parties, we won,' Curtis told a few dozen rally-goers. She said union members helped push off unfriendly bills and pulled the pay plan forward.. At a rally Friday at the Capitol with, at most, 18 days left in the session, Curtis praised the work union members had done, including 22 MFPE members who serve in the Montana Legislature. The MFPE is the largest union in the state with more than 20,000 members. Rep. Eric Matthews, D-Bozeman, said the legislature has passed the pay plan, and it's a fair one. Matthews, a teacher, said the STARS Act, a comprehensive bill addressing starting teacher pay, still needs to pass, but it's a positive proposal. The Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success Act, House Bill 252, passed the House 88-9 and is making its way through the Senate. 'We still have to get the STARS Act out, which will definitely help the education system across Montana,' Matthews said. Rep. Denise Baum, D-Billings, said Montana's pensions are healthy, and they need to resist attacks. She said 73% of public employees report they would be more likely to leave their work if their pensions are cut. Baum, a recently retired detective with the Billings Police Department, also urged Gov. Greg Gianforte to sign Senate Bill 7, which she said helps correct a wrong from last session. The bill revises the retirement criteria for some law enforcement officers. Instead of being eligible after 20 years of service and at the age of 50, it allows an officer to tap their retirement after reaching just one of the criteria. The bill passed the legislature and is headed to Gianforte's desk. A spokesperson for the Governor's Office did not respond to an email for comment about the governor's planned action. Rep. Jill Cohenour, D-Helena, praised increases in the pay plan, including a minimum $10,400 for employees working for the state of Montana and the university system over the course of three years, 'raises exceeding anything that has been there in the past two decades.' 'Hear me when I say that public employees in Montana deserve the pay plans that we have negotiated,' Cohenour said. 'We deserve so much more. 'We are the people that Montanans go to when they need help starting a business, when they're trying to find a job, when they're trying to get back on their feet, when their roads need plowed, and when they're experiencing a health crisis. We make families successful in communities across Montana.' At the rally, Curtis also encouraged other union members to run for office in the future, even though '22 member legislators may be unheard of.' 'We need reinforcements in 2027, and it doesn't matter what party you identify with,' Curtis said. 'If you believe that public service is a public good, if you believe that we must support public employees, if you believe that working people should have a voice and protections at work, we need you in this Capitol building.'
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Teachers rally, one significant education proposal dies, governor's bill gains support
More than 500 people attended a rally organized by the Montana Federation of Public Employees at the Capitol in 2025 to support teachers, law enforcement, and local government officials. (Keila Szpaller/The Daily Montanan) Nearly 500 people, including teachers, rallied at the Montana Capitol this week to speak up for education and public employees, and a couple of major education proposals met divergent fates in the Montana Legislature. A 'school choice' bill, House Bill 320 died Wednesday once a number of legislators changed their votes after the legislation cleared its first hurdle on the floor and survived the Appropriations committee with a one-vote margin. Friday, however, the House gave another thumbs up for the STARS Act — Student and Teacher Advancement for Results — a key proposal in Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte's budget. It will be on its way to the Senate. Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, is the lead sponsor of House Bill 252, which is aimed at increasing starter teacher pay, a persistent problem in Montana. The bill also includes academic incentives for students and ways high-cost school districts can support teachers with affordable housing. It has significant support across the political spectrum. Some supporters argue it doesn't do enough for veteran teachers, but Jones has said it targets a specific challenge in Montana, and money is limited. House Bill 320, which failed, would have created a program to help families with children in private schools and a tax credit for financial donors. The proposal was criticized as costly and lacking adequate oversight, especially given its high cost, earlier estimated to be as much as $12 million by 2029. It was praised as providing resources to families whose children don't fit the mold in public school and face rising prices. Sponsor and Rep. Lee Deming, R-Laurel, said he was disappointed in the outcome and had believed concerns from detractors had been addressed with amendments. 'There's 5,700 kids that somehow don't fit in our system right now,' Deming said. 'They're not going to get a dime. We spend $2 billion on everybody else, but we can't cut $8 million loose for those kids.' The rally Monday, organized by the Montana Federation of Public Employees, was a call on legislators to support teachers, but also other union workers, school staff, law enforcement officers, and city, county and state employees. MFPE President Amanda Curtis said the group's message was to respect public employees and fund public schools and public service — 'public good.' 'In these crazy, divided times, it is important to show up in the right spirit,' Curtis said in prepared remarks. 'Today, I'd like us to show up in a spirit of gratitude. Every single person in this building, whether they vote the right way or not, is in service to their community and our state.' HB 320 was among the bills the union had opposed for sending public resources to 'voucher schemes.' David Reese, an academic advisor in Montana State University's Department of Education, said state universities graduate enough students to fill open teaching positions, but Montana still comes up short because of pay. So teachers go elsewhere. Reese, in prepared remarks provided to the Daily Montanan, said he sees potential in the STARS Act, but also wants it to do more. 'Yes, let's boost starting teacher pay, but let's also improve their career-earnings outlook by supporting the experienced educators who have stuck with the profession through years of attacks and negative, real wage growth,' Reese said.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bills to boost starting teacher pay, offer ‘school choice,' both advance in House
Photo illustration by Getty Images. The Montana House advanced a couple of significant education proposals this week including a bill to increase starting teacher pay and one to support children in private school. One bill passed with significant support, one by a hair. But both bills garnered criticism from legislators during debate and will need to withstand scrutiny in appropriations and another vote on the floor to move to the Senate. House Bill 252, to increase starting teacher pay, passed 93-7 with bipartisan support. House Bill 320, to provide support for 'school choice,' passed 51-48. Sponsored by Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, HB 252 provides incentives for academic achievement and offers other support for educators, such as tools districts can use for housing in areas of high cost, in addition to starting teacher pay. The STARS Act, the Student and Teacher Advancement for Results and Success, is supported by the Governor's Office, and Jones said it was designed with input from communities and education groups. 'It's had a lot of collaboration across the state,' Jones said. Previous legislation to try to boost starting teacher pay didn't lead to desired results, and Rep. Jane Gillette, R-Three Forks, wanted to know if HB 252 would be different. 'Why would this bill help schools retain new teachers better than the one that we passed?' Gillette said. Jones said the amount of money wasn't enough to encourage districts to participate before, but the proof of concept worked. He said at least one district is already negotiating based on the bill, and it puts sufficient money into the program, $50 million as opposed to a couple million. Rep. Luke Muszkiewicz, D-Helena, said he's a former trustee and supports the bill, but he would be remiss in not pointing out its shortcomings. He said many people feel it won't help school districts retain more experienced teachers, who help mentor newer teachers, and school districts still face an inflation gap of $92.5 million. 'While the STARS Act represents a significant ongoing investment, it will not serve as the leap forward we would hope if it doesn't at least close that inflation gap,' Muszkiewicz said. *** HB 320, Montana's Academic Prosperity Program for Scholars, or MAPPS, is a program to help families afford to send their children to private schools, said sponsor Rep. Lee Deming, R-Laurel. It offers donors and families a tax credit. Deming said the bill was amended in committee to set a $10 million aggregate ceiling limit for parents buying 'qualified' education expenses, and the same ceiling for donations to the MAPPS account. An escalator clause allows the ceilings to lift up to that point, but only if both sides hit 80% of their limits. Before the bill was amended, critics said the credits in it and another existing education credit had the potential to cost the state $100 million in revenue within a decade, and cost remained a concern on the House floor. The bill passed on second reading by one vote but drew bipartisan opposition. Legislators questioned cost and a lack of accountability. Rep. Sherry Essmann, R-Billings, raised numerous concerns, including that a program manager wouldn't get a job review for five years. 'How many of us had jobs where we could work … for five years before we got a job performance review? That is totally out of line,' Essmann said. Deming countered that the bill provides for termination. Essmann also said the types of things for which parents can claim a credit are broad, and they're things parents of students who go to public schools cannot claim — 'they just have to pay for them.' Rep. Mark Thane, D-Missoula, also said he saw multiple problems with the bill, including that it could cost the state more money every year with the 20% escalator. A fiscal analysis estimates it's projected to cost the state nearly $12 million by 2029. 'You can see that over time, this could be a runaway freight train in terms of cost,' Thane said. Thane, a former superintendent, also said a savvy accountant could help a client avoid paying income taxes, for example, with a $200,000 donation that credits a corporation or individual with $65,000 during the span of three years. 'For the next three years, I can zero out the bottom line of my Montana state income tax return with this credit,' Thane said. 'That means those individuals or those corporations will not contribute to any state initiatives or state programs during that three-year period.' But in favor of the bill, Rep. Terry Falk, R-Kalispell, said he views the 'value proposition' in the bill similar to the way he sees money that goes to fight crime or build roads — 'I think school choice, universal school choice, is right there.' Children who aren't in public schools also save taxpayers costly infrastructure, he said, and he believes the time has come for the 'school choice' legislation. 'School choice is a necessary, reasonable need in our American society,' Falk said. Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, R-Billings, said families are wondering how to pay the bills with the economy. She said Montana is funding public education at a high rate, and legislators shouldn't be afraid to do the same for families who want something different. 'They also want to have the opportunity to put their kids through private school,' Seekins-Crowe said.
