By: Senator Jason Ellsworth
Senate District 43, Hamilton
Senate President Pro Tempore, Republican
Senate Republicans tackled many issues in the first half of the session, but the most urgent, critical accomplishments of the first half all had one thing in common: creating more, good-paying Montana jobs.
SB 65 protects Montana businesses from frivolous coronavirus-related lawsuits. It is key to the Montana Comeback Plan because it allows Montana businesses to reopen their doors and get Montanans back to work in these newly reopened businesses.
Republicans also passed multiple tax reform bills that ease the tax burden on Montana businesses, provide incentives to make Montana a better place to do business, and create more good-paying Montana jobs.
SB 159 makes Montana’s top income tax rate more competitive with other states, which will attract business investment in Montana and provide tax relief for every Montanan making more than $18,400.
The BIG Jobs Act raises the business equipment tax exemption to $200,000, which exempts 4,000 small businesses (including 1,500 farmers) from the business equipment tax completely. This legislation will help existing Montana businesses grow and create jobs. Meanwhile, the Montana Entrepreneur Magnet Act, SB 184, incentives new companies to come to Montana and bring their high-paying jobs with them. HB 252 provides employers a tax incentive to invest in trade education for their employees, grow Montana’s skilled labor force here in Montana, and encourage companies to invest in Montana jobs.
But Republicans’ job-creation bills didn’t stop in the private sector. The Tomorrow’s Educators Are Coming Home (TEACH) Act is also now law. By providing incentives to raise starting teacher pay, the TEACH Act will help Montana’s effort to recruit the next generation of high-quality educators in Montana’s public school districts. The new law will keep our young, talented teachers in Montana and bring Montanans that left back home for better pay.
Senate Republicans also passed bills to build rural broadband, providing more Montanans with access to reliable, high-speed Internet. Not only do these bills, SB 51 and SB 297, help rural businesses grow and create jobs, but it also offers greater opportunity for Montanans to enjoy telecommuting jobs – a rapidly growing industry in the wake of COVID-19.
The Colstrip package of bills, SB 260, 265, and 266, protect Montana’s interests in the Colstrip coal-fired power generation facilities and secures the jobs these facilities create. As corporate owners in Washington and Oregon face increasing pressure to close these facilities, this package of bills ensures that decisions impacting the future of Colstrip are made in Montana and considering the best interest of Montanans.
This is just a shortlist from the first half. Senate Republicans have passed many pieces of legislation that grow Montana’s economy, create good-paying jobs, expand access to affordable health care, protect individual rights, increase government accountability, and provide Montana’s kids with a quality education. We will continue to work on even more legislation that builds on these critical accomplishments.
There is no doubt that we will continue leading the Montana Comeback Plan in the second half of the session. We will also be passing a conservative, balanced budget that doesn’t raise taxes on ordinary Montanans and small businesses, grows our economy, and creates a business-friendly environment that stimulates job-creation and a better quality of life for all Montanans.
Just as in the first half of the session, I encourage you to participate in the legislative process, and I welcome your feedback.