Dear Residents of Senate District 47,

Welcome to my 2008-10 website.

I am proud to have been elected as your Senator for the years 2009-12.  I served as the Representative of House District 93 during 2007 and 2008.  Senate District 47 includes HD 93 and HD 94. Before the redistricting of 2004, I represented much of HD 94 for three terms.

Geographically the Senate District includes most of southeast Missoula, from the Clark Fork River near the University to the Bitterroot River opposite Lolo. It includes Hellgate and Sentinel high schools, the University of Montana, and Paxson, Washington, Russell, Lewis and Clark, and Chief Charlo grade schools.

   OVERVIEW OF THE 2009 SESSION

   A worsening national recession provided the context for the session.  That recession was evident to us as revenue estimates plunged during all of the four months we were in Helena.  But how to view the future and which specific Montana needs were to be priorities were governed as much by the make-up of the legislature as by the context.  Republicans controlled the Senate (27-23) and the House was 50-50.  In general, Republicans were pessimistic about economic recovery and followed their usual prescription of cutting government (7% vacancy savings required for the coming biennium, cutting the people who will be needed to provide the services that an economy in recession requires) and starving education (we worked hard to get 3% increases for K-12 into the base budget but higher education was underfunded and tuition increases will clearly be needed to keep quality in the universities.)  We were forced to spend too much time affirming the law that all Montanans voted for in November to increase CHIP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program.  We passed bills for one new program in mental health that should keep more patients in their hometowns, receiving help there rather than being carted around unnecessarily.

   The Obama stimulus package was truly a blessing.  Many of us believe that the economy will turn around and the 900 million dollars the stimulus provided Montana will help greatly.  I would have preferred that more money had gone into helping teacher ready kids than for shovel ready projects but several expenditures such as energy conservation projects in schools and state buildings and funding for our distressed wood products industry will pay great dividends in the future.  (There are 150 line items in the budget for stimulus funds - each with multiple projects.)We left Helena with a projected $262 million ending fund balance for 2011 - If that’s too little there will be a special session.  I believe it would have been wiser to spend about 50 million more on Universities and social programs.

     MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

Climate Change:  We passed one decent bill to begin the process of regulating carbon dioxide sequestration from facilities that use coal.  My bill to do this was tabled but a very similar bill (allowing the Board of Oil and Gas rather than the Board of Environmental Review to make decisions) passed after some good amendments in the House.  On the other hand the senate killed my bill to emulate California tailpipe standards (cars, as well as power plants, emit greenhouse gasses) and several good bills to give tax breaks for alternative energy and conservation failed.

Tax Policy:  We dealt with property taxes and the recent reappraisal in the normal way (decrease tax rate, provide increase in homestead exemption, and phase everything in over six years).  In Missoula, where reappraised values on average were higher than the statewide 55% increase, some people will see an increase in their property taxes. Democrats were disappointed that we were unable to help low to moderate income people with property tax breaks - some of current law to help such people has not been updated for inflation since 1988.

   We again failed to deal with loopholes for corporate taxes that allow international corporations to hide Montana based income overseas.        

   We had a chance to pass an Earned Income Tax credit for Montanans (one bill got out of committee in the House), but it also finally failed.

       STOPPING BAD BILLS

   As often happens our biggest challenge was stopping bad bills and we did well by saying no to several anti-choice bills, a dozen anti-immigrant bills, and most of the bills that were intended to limit citizen involvement in governmental decisions.  The Governor helped with timely vetoes.

        MY BILLS THAT PASSED

   I was pleased to sponsor half a dozen bills that made it through the process and that will help Montanans.  We also came close to passing an enhancement to current medical marijuana law - (it passed the senate but lost on a tie vote in a house committee.)  Here are the bills that passed:

   1. Algae in the Clark Fork - SB 200 will help with a growing problem of algal growth in the Clark Fork  (eventually the law will protect other endangered rivers).  Beginning in 2010 no dishwashing soap sold in our area will contain phosphate.

   2. Revenue bonds for transportation   - SB 9 will allow communities to use revenue bonds for transportation systems, including trains.

   3. Default leases - SB 323 provides assurance for renters that they will not be taken advantage of by landlords at the end of their leases.

   4. Good Samaritan Law for retired doctors - SB 368 will allow retired medical practitioners to provide services without malpractice coverage at places like the Poverello Center.

   5. and 6. Remediation - SB 5 and SB 71 were bills that will help state environmental agencies with remediation/clean-up.                 

   If you have questions about anything in this letter or any other legislative matters, call me (549-4671) or send me an e-mail (ron.senate@gmail.com).

   It has been great to serve with a strong Missoula delegation and it is an honor to serve as your senator.  

   Sincerely,

   Ron Erickson

2007 Legislative Overview
Providing a Quality Public Education

• For the second session in a row, public education received an unprecedented boost in state funding. Over the next two years, public schools, K-12, will receive $140 million of (additional?)State revenues.

• Funded All-Day Kindergarten, which is optional for school districts.

• Increased state funding of school equalization funding, which will result in local property tax reductions for Missoula-area homeowners.

• Froze tuition for U of M students, and increased funding for the University System.

• Funded access for the disabled for the UM Law School; reinstated the Speech Pathology Department at UM; increased funding for the UM School of Journalism; and funded a grant for long-range planning for the College of Technology.

Lowering the Tax Burden on Homeowners
• Rebated Montana resident homeowners $400 per homeowner.

Improving Health Care
• Expanded eligibility for CHIP – the Children’s Health Initiative Program- to 175% of poverty, paving the way for thousands more Montana kids to receive needed and preventative healthcare.

Caring for Seniors and Retirees
• Established the first-ever Trust Fund for Senior Citizens.
• Stabilized funding for the State Pension Systems.

Clean and Green energy Bill
I was the major Democratic voice in the House for the Clean and Green energy bill. Future wind farms, plant-derived ethanol facilities, biodiesel plants, and coal facilities that capture and sequester carbon dioxide, will receive major property tax breaks. New transmission lines, pipelines that carry green energy products, and solar producing businesses will also benefit. This progressive energy policy will likely create new jobs for Montanans.

Any questions should be sent me at nancron@aol.com