By: Senator Jason Ellsworth
President Pro Tempore of the Montana Senate
Senate District 43, Hamilton, Republican
The 2021 Legislative Session presents us with a significant opportunity to drain the swamp in Helena, protect Montana’s businesses from crushing regulations, and lower taxes for every Montanan. But we also face unprecedented challenges; finding ways to safely reopen Montana must be our top priority.
There are some who have suggested that the Legislature should not meet. That the risks posed by the pandemic are too great. But every day, thousands of Montana’s essential workers – firefighters, police officers, nurses, teachers and grocery and pharmacy employees – go to work to keep their communities running. It is time for Montana’s citizen representatives to go to work as well to ensure that they have the support they need.
We will not let fear stop us from pushing Montana forward.
Our priorities are numerous. After so many years fighting against governors who preferred waste to efficiency and obstruction to transparency, we have our first opportunity to roll back the policies that concern us all. All of our statewide elected offices are held by Republicans giving us a strong mandate and a clear path to a better future.
In these early days, the Governor stepped up to protect Montanans by opening our vaccine rollout to Montana’s most vulnerable residents. As more Montanans are vaccinated against the virus, he will roll back even more of the regulations that prevent Montanans from living their daily lives and threaten to close our businesses.
In the Montana Senate, we are working on critical legislation to protect Montana’s small businesses from frivolous lawsuits related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our small businesses, healthcare facilities and churches need to know that they can reopen without risking a lawsuit. The Governor has said that once this legislation is signed into law, he will remove even more of the COVID-19 restrictions. We are proud to work with him to reopen Montana.
Your Senators are also working closely with the Secretary of State’s office to ensure that our elections are secure and transparent. We have a package of bills being drafted to roll back same-day voter registration, require voter ID, and clean up our voter rolls. We want every Montanan to go to sleep on election night with complete confidence in our election results.
We’re also working closely with the House of Representatives to expand our Second Amendment rights, lower prescription drug costs, and attract employers to Montana who will invest in our state and create new jobs. While there may be bumps along the way, the Republican Majority in both houses shares a clear vision of Montana’s future and will work together to achieve it.
As the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, much of the work of pushing our Republican priorities forward will fall to me. As I work with my colleagues on our shared vision, I will continue to represent the people of the Bitterroot Valley by improving our access to broadband Internet, simplifying our tax code, and improving the career and technical education opportunities for our young people.
My door is always open, and I look forward to hearing from my constituents as we begin our journey toward a better future for Montana.