Montana Editorial Roundup

The Billings Gazette, Dec. 30, on the Affordable Care Act in Montana:

What would repeal of the federal Affordable Care Act mean for the 61,000 Montanans who have Medicaid coverage under that law?

According to Montana law, their Medicaid would end if the federal government stops paying 90 percent or more of the costs of their care. The ACA says that funding will never be less than 90 percent of costs.

Last year, the Republican majority in Congress passed a bill repealing parts of the Affordable Care Act, including provisions that authorize funding for Medicaid expansion in the 50 states. President Barack Obama vetoed that bill.

In 2016, the federal government paid virtually 100 percent of the costs of caring for the 61,000 new enrollees. By contrast, the state of Montana is responsible for about 30 percent of the costs of caring for the rest of its Medicaid enrollees - children, disabled and elderly adults.

The 2015 Montana HELP Act authorized the state to start enrolling low-income people of all ages. The law received bipartisan support from Montana’s health care providers, business leaders, clergy and human service organizations.

Since Montana began enrolling folks under the HELP Act on Jan. 1, 2016, Montana hospitals are seeing fewer people who have no money to pay for needed care. The federal Medicaid money is helping to trim losses at our community hospitals that care for indigent patients.

New Medicaid enrollees live in all 56 counties, including 8,174 in Yellowstone County.

The HELP Act has been tremendously successful in 2016. If Congress repeals it, all Montanans will feel the pain. The cost shift of indigent care to those who have insurance will intensify. Lives will be disrupted as people scramble to find care they need, but can’t afford.

The Washington, D.C., GOP idea of repealing the ACA without first figuring out a replacement plan is bad medicine for the nation and for Montana.

“Congress should not rip health care away from tens of thousands of Montanans and millions of Americans without first presenting a real and viable alternative that protects patients and that provides a foundation for states, health care providers and insurers to responsibly plan for the future,” Gov. Steve Bullock wrote in a letter to U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy the week before Christmas. Bullock is right.

The leader of the Montana House agrees that Montanans can’t be left without the coverage they got starting in January 2016. “The state of Montana is going to have to look at trying to help keep those people covered,” Speaker Austin Knudsen, R-Culbertson, told The Gazette.

But neither the governor nor the Montana Legislature can know how to plan until Congress presents its plan. We call on Montana’s Congressional delegation - Jon Tester, Steve Daines and Ryan Zinke - to ensure that Montana is protected from ACA repeal without replacement.

Editorial: https://bit.ly/2hOh494

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The Great Falls Tribune, Jan. 3, on the 2017 legislative session:

Montana’s 65th Legislature convenes Jan. 2 for a session packed with uncertainties before it begins.

What will happen with the Affordable Care Act with a Republican-led Congress and White House? When spring arrives, will Montana’s rivers be clogged with invasive mussels?

And just how much revenue will the state have to spend?

There are some knowns as the session starts, however.

Infrastructure -think roads, bridges and sewers -is in need of some serious investment Montana communities insist. The most recent American Society of Civil Engineers infrastructure report card handed Montana a C- for overall condition of such things. The same report estimates the state’s needs for roads alone is $14.8 billion.

Gov. Steve Bullock is calling for a $200 million investment of cash and bonds during the 2017 Legislature to fund infrastructure needs. A $150 million proposal for the same cause failed by a slim margin in the last Legislative session.

The report also suggests key solutions and as the state’s citizen lawmakers head to Helena, we want to highlight one in particular: “Support Federal Programs That Are Good for Montana: Montana should support federal efforts that provide direct financial assistance to the state for safe and efficient infrastructure, like the Highway Trust Fund and National Dam Safety Program.”

In this year of limited resources with a long list of basic needs -again, think roads, bridges, sewers and such - lawmakers must openly explore every avenue for much needed revenue. That means federal funds, even those with distasteful bureaucratic strings, which can boost Montana’s limited resources for projects such as road and bridge repairs.

Education is another certain hot topic of the 2017 Montana Legislature and, hopefully, the presession squabbling we’ve seen already will give way to thoughtful discussions and meaningful investments.

Bullock wants to offer public education to 4-year-olds. Some Republicans suggest taking the $14 million in his budget to pursue that and shifting it to pay for part of the road projects the governor’s budget leaves unfunded.

There is sound research that public pre-kindergarten education programs pay dividends for students and their communities. This year may, or may not, be the right one for an expanded investment in this area, because of limited resources. However, every solid plank lawmakers secure in a solid public education foundation is a win for all of us.

For example, we like short-timer Great Falls Democrat Sen. Mary Moe’s plan to carry a bill to provide funding for students who stay in public school beyond the age of 18.

“We should not discourage school districts who help students with health crises, family crises or need time to get their act together,” Moe said and we agree.

There is plenty to debate this session beyond infrastructure and education.

Great Falls Rep. Brian Hoven, a Republican, said he will introduce bills to simplify Montana’s tax system. His last proposal was vetoed and he said he would like to work with the governor’s office this time around so that doesn’t happen again.

“You can bring forth a bill, put it on the governor’s desk, he vetoes and it’s on his record,” Hoven said. “I don’t subscribe to that. But if you have an issue that the governor would be willing to work with you on, then it’s worthwhile.”

Another worthwhile effort this session for lawmakers and the executive branch to collaborate on will be to help local municipalities and law enforcement agencies comply with Marsy’s Law, the constitutional initiative passed by Montana voters to give victims of crimes the right to be notified as cases progress.

The law extends to notifications for victims of misdemeanor property crimes. Law enforcement departments will struggle to get their arms around how to comply with the massive new requirements and how to pay for it.

Expected added costs due to Marsy’s Law include a $27 million upgrade a statewide radio system and costs associated with parolees being rearrested.

This is an area where true leadership is needed to assist the state’s hardworking professionals who put their lives on the line to protect our communities.

We urge Montana’s 2017 Legislature to open the session with a mindset of cooperation, open mindedness and listening attitude. This biennium, with limited revenue, Montana is depending on all of you to do just that.

Editorial: https://gftrib.com/2i8EC9F

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The Montana Standard, Dec. 30, on advice for Montana’s leaders:

Just in case they don’t make them themselves, we’ll make the following New Year’s resolutions for some folks around the state:

EPA’s Montana bosses, who live, for some reason, in Helena instead of Butte: Do your job here. Get real about the current inadequate remedy for the Butte Hill. Fund CTEC as promised. Show up in Butte more often. Hold ARCO accountable. Commit to working toward the vision this community provided through Restore Our Creek.

Gov. Steve Bullock: Don’t back down on early childhood education and infrastructure. Be the governor known nationally for getting things done despite a hostile Legislature. Keep up the fight here in Butte for a real cleanup. Do something about the fact Montana breaks public-records law on email retention every day.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen: Cut your losses. Get rid of Randy Vogel, the political hack you hired (with no background whatsoever in education) who specialized in offensive social-media posts during the recent campaign. You don’t need him or the taint he brings to a department that you campaigned on “de-politicizing.”

Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Dave Palmer: Use your new office as a bully pulpit for economic development here in Butte. Solve the MSE crisis with leadership. And refuse to sign any Butte Priority Soils consent decree that doesn’t reflect the real desires of the people of Butte.

Attorney General Tim Fox: Escalate the state’s response to a worsening methamphetamine crisis. Get the medical examiner’s office straightened out and functioning economically and correctly. Get those rape kits tested. Use your status as both one of the leading Republican attorneys general in the nation and as a trusted friend of Montana’s Native Americans and honorary tribal member to take a leadership role in mediating the bitter Standing Rock situation, one state over but greatly affecting the entire West.

Montana legislators of both parties: Represent the needs and desires of your constituents over and above ideology. Work together and find solutions that help the state. Remember our most vulnerable, including children, the disadvantaged, the elderly, and our veterans. Tough times should make statespeople out of politicians.

Montana environmentalists: Remember mining and ranching are both a part of our heritage and necessary to our future. Stand up and fight when you need to, and compromise when you can. And do all you can to oppose the delisting of the Yellowstone grizzlies.

Montana water-rights holders: Work together to conserve. Realize we’re in this together, climate change is real, and sacrifices must be made to preserve the Montana way of life and our outdoor economy. Oh, and respect the law on stream access.

Sen. Jon Tester, Sen. Steve Daines, and whoever replaces Rep. Ryan Zinke: Take a “Team Montana” approach to helping the state’s economy and its neediest citizens. Together, you have enormous power. In particular, make the federal government do what it is supposed to do for our veterans, our Native Americans, and for our Montana environment.

Northwestern Energy: Continue the admirable diversification of your energy-generation portfolio. (But at the same time, why not acquire Colstrip Units 1 and 2? Ratepayers would support you doing all you can to stabilize cheap power for your largest customers - who create jobs - as well as the smallest.)

If all this should happen to take place, we’re going to like 2017 a lot more than 2016.

Editorial: https://bit.ly/2iGtS63

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The Missoulian, Jan. 1, on the 2017 legislative session:

The 2017 Legislature kicked off Monday, with members of the House and Senate convening for the first of 90 days of rip-roaring legislating.

It may be too much to hope that every legislator will conduct the state’s business with the sober statesmanship such a position demands, and resist the temptation to introduce the kind of “silly bills” or bull-headed partisanship seen in past legislative sessions. However, each legislator should resolve to at least start the new year focused on fixing the state’s most pressing problems.

In that spirit, here are six resolutions we hope Montana’s legislators will adopt for the session:

Build consensus on infrastructure funding: The proposed payment methods for covering Montana’s critical construction projects are nearly as numerous as the projects themselves. Unfortunately, the current situation is such that the Montana Department of Transportation is being forced to delay $144.5 million in road projects until it can cough up the $14.5 million it needs to trigger $130 million in federal matching funds.

Republican leadership in the Senate suggest the state carve the required funding out of Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock’s proposed budget by axing early childhood education. Bullock’s proposal provides $6 million for each of two years to fund preschool programs, a drastic reduction from the $37 million he proposed last biennium and which failed to pass the legislature. It should pass this time, so long as legislators remember that every dollar invested in quality early education will save the state even more money down the road. The research is solid; this is a wise use of limited resources.

So is bonding at a time when interest rates are at historic lows. Finding the best possible balance between bonds and cash will be tricky, but making use of both to some degree is a no-braining.

Meanwhile, the Highway Special Revenue fund, filled by state’s gas tax, is projected to run empty by July. If it isn’t refilled, not only will road projects have to be delayed, but the Montana Highway Patrol will have to cut 27 officers. The fund has long limped along by collecting 27 cents per gallon, unchanged since 1993.

Which leads us to the next resolution.

Consider raising the state gas tax: A lot has changed in the past 24 years. Vehicles are more fuel-efficient and Montana has grown into a powerhouse tourist destination; Glacier National Park alone drew nearly 3 million visitors in 2016.

The Tax Foundation reports that Pennsylvania has the highest gas tax rate in the nation, at 50 cents per gallon, while Alaska has the lowest, at $12 cents. Yet Montana, the fourth-largest state in the nation, counts nearly 13,000 miles of state highway out of nearly 75,000 miles of public roads. Those cents have to stretch pretty far.

Realistically, at least some portion of the burden of maintaining these roads and bridges should be borne by the drivers who use them, whether they live in Montana or are visiting from out-of-state. Again, finding the exact right number is the tricky part. But an increase of some amount is clearly warranted - and overdue.

Abstain from major medical marijuana reforms: While the governor and legislature are eying potential new sources of revenue, they should both keep their paws off medical marijuana. As this editorial board has argued before, it’s simply wrong to tax people’s medicine.

Unfortunately, the governor is considering it and at least one legislator has requested a bill draft to create a tax on medical marijuana. More than a dozen other bill drafts would “generally revise” marijuana or medical marijuana laws.

The voters approved the use of medical marijuana in this state in 2004, and last November sent a strong message about the way this medicine should be handled in Montana. Legislators should take that message to heart and recognize that while some small adjustments might improve the laws governing medical marijuana, voters are not interested in wholesale repeal - or deregulation.

If legislators want to tackle a real drug problem, we have another suggestion for them.

Provide counties with jail diversion tools: A state Sentencing Commission recently completed the first comprehensive review of Montana’s criminal justice system, and agreed on a number of legislative policies to make significant improvements. One of these involves providing addiction and mental health treatment options earlier in the process, instead of crowding our jails with offenders who, without treatment, are likely to cycle back into jail as soon as they are released.

This is another up-front investment that ultimately saves money down the road. Non-violent criminals who receive early access to services are less likely to re-offend, which improves public safety while freeing jail space for those who really should be kept behind bars, and saving tax dollars in the process. In fact, the Sentencing Commission projects a savings of $82 million over six years if its proposals are approved by the legislature. Montana’s lawmakers should give these suggestions serious consideration.

Uphold accountability through transparency: During Bullock’s re-election campaign, Republicans raised serious concerns about his administration’s handling of emails, specifically Bullock’s failure to retain email records from his time as attorney general (2009-2013).

Bullock responded by explaining that his office handed over public records to his successor in that office, Tim Fox, but followed standard practice in allowing individual email accounts to lapse.

Some Republican legislative leaders have said they will continue to push for an investigation into Bullock’s emails as attorney general, but this strikes us as a less productive use of time than coming up with legally binding standards for storing such records going forward.

Montana’s various state agencies lack a uniform system of electronic record-keeping that would help alleviate confusion about which kinds of communications must be kept as part of the public record. Legislators ought to take a close look at the systems used by other states and weigh the costs of instituting similar requirements here against the costs of future lost records.

Editorial: https://bit.ly/2iGyIjO