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By Mark Moran - Producer-Editor, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - Montana lawmakers are completing their veto override ballots that are due back in the Secretary of State's office this week. They're deciding whether to overturn Gov. Greg Gianforte's veto of Senate Bill 442, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, but also has critics. Comments from Frank Szollosi (suh-LAHS-ee), executive director, Montana Wildlife Federation; and Montana state Sen. Mike Lang, R-Malta.
Click on the image above for the audio. Montana has more than 3 million acres of inaccessible public lands, tops in the West, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. (Adobe Stock)
Mark Moran
April 15, 2024 - Ballots are due back in the Montana Secretary of State's office later this week, as lawmakers decide
whether to override Gov. Greg Gianforte's veto of a high-profile funding bill that would reapportion money from the state's marijuana sales tax.
Gianforte vetoed Senate Bill 442 after the Montana Senate had adjourned last session, which left lawmakers no chance to override it.
It would fund veterans' services, provide permanent property tax relief for vets & Gold Star families, invest in county road maintenance, and support land conservation and habitat management.
Montana Wildlife Federation Executive Director Frank Szollosi said the legislation has received broad support inside and outside the capitol.
"That's why agricultural interests have supported 442," said Szollosi. "Counties have supported 442, and the conservation & sporting communities have supportted 442, and local governments."
Gianforte said in his veto note that using state funds for local responsibilities such as road improvements is a "slippery slope."
A veto override requires the approval of two-thirds of lawmakers. Ballots are due back in the Secretary of State's office on Thursday.
Twenty percent of the sales tax revenue would be used specifically for habitat conservation - but equally important, supporters say, is the money that would be spent to improve veterans' programs and rural infrastructure.
The bill's sponsor, state Sen. Mike Lang - R-Malta - said S.B. 442 would provide services for groups that have not historically shared common interests.
"I just want to bridge the gap," said Lang, "between recreationists and hunters, and private landowners."
Critics of SB 442 have argued the funding distribution formula isn't equitable, while supporters say it directs resources towards those who need them most.
The bill passed the Legislature with 130 of 150 votes in last year's session.
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ReferencesCitation: Inaccessible Public Lands the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership 2024
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By Mark Moran - Producer-Editor, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - Expanding the Child Tax Credit could lift as many as 46,000 kids out of poverty in Montana, a quarter of them under the age of 6. The measure passed the U.S. House and awaits action in the Senate. Comments from Nathan Stahley (STAY-lee), executive director, Montana Chapter, National Association of Social Workers.
Click on the image above for the audio. Expanding the Child Tax Credit could lift as many as 16 million kids in the U.S out of poverty, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. But the measure awaiting action in the U.S. Senate does not have broad public support. (Adobe Stock)
Mark Moran
April 15, 2024 - Advocates of the Child Tax Credit are calling on Washington lawmakers to expand it as they return to the Capitol this week. It's estimated an expansion could help more than 46,000 kids in Montana.
HR 7024, also known as the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, would increase the Child Tax Credit from $1,600 to $1,800, and raise it by another $100 next year.
Nathan Stahley, executive director of the Montana chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, said this would benefit 16,000 Montana kids under age six - which would, in turn, help lift families' financial burden.
"Across the state, we're seeing families struggle to pay their bills," said Stahley. "You know, having to make a choice - do they have to put food on the table there, or are they going to pay for their medication, maybe? And so, when we look at this credit, it's going to lift people out of poverty."
A permanent expansion of the pandemic-era tax credit has strong support, according to recent polling. The expanded CTC passed the U.S. House with bipartisan support and now awaits action in the U.S. Senate.
Beyond helping families pay their bills, Stahley said an expanded Child Tax Credit would help them pursue services they often neglect because of cost.
"Anything from therapy to other health-related concerns they may be working through," said Stahley. "Again, when you're in poverty, there are a lot of things you're not going to be able to afford - and one of the first things that gets cut is health. So, we want to make sure they can put food on the table and get the health care they need."
Numbers from Children's Health Watch show families who received the expanded Child Tax Credit during the pandemic were also able to catch up on rent.
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PNS - Monday, April 15, 2024 - House Republicans want citizenship proof for federal election voting, under White House pressure Israel shows restraint after Iran's attack and Trump's hush money trial starts.
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PNS - Monday, April 15, 2024 - 25 million Blacks, and Latinos missing from voter databases; major news organizations urge Biden and Trump to commit to presidential debates; NM gun-control advocates praise federal rule closing 'gun show loophole; Arkansas group raising awareness during Black Maternal Health Week.
