Fish, game bills flood legislature
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There was lots of candy, cookies and flowers around the capital for Valentine’s Day. A couple of my Facebook friends posted pictures of our area. Makes me homesick.
Transmittal break, when bills go from the House to the Senate and vice versa, is March 1-3. It will be great to be home for three days. Representatives Hertz, Salomon and I are speaking at the Pachyderm Club on Friday, March 1.
We try to concentrate on jobs, but wolves and bison bills keep coming up. HB 73, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Flynn (R. Townsend), not only passed, the governor signed it.
HB 73 increases the wolf limit to three, lowers the license price for out of state hunters, and allows for the purchase of multiple tags. One contentious provision was permitting the use of electronic calls.
There are so many fish and game bills that you might want to go online and check out the list at www.leg.mt.gov and then go to bills, 2013 session and select “fish and game” as a subject.
Rep. Ted Washburn (R. Bozeman) has HB 160 in the House Appropriations Committee. This bill has aquatic invasive species funding. Not enough, but adds inflation every year.
Sen. Verdell Jackson (R. Kalispell) presented SB 265 last Friday. This bill would extend the reserve water rights compact commission between the state and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
It was a packed hearing in the Senate Natural Resources Committee. The committee members wanted to know about the Lake County lawsuit and got a report on Monday. The committee had not voted on Jackson’s bill the time I sent in this article.
We are all worried about the Obamacare health insurance exchanges. HB 250 sponsored by Liz Bangerter (R. Helena) concerns not only the exchanges, it defines navigator qualifications, fees and certification.
What’s a navigator? This person helps people choose insurance on the interstate exchange. Insurance purchase begins next Jan. 1. Companies with less than 50 employees will go to the exchange and larger companies will have to have their plans approved by the federal government.
Navigator duties are defined by US code, not Montana code. But we do charge a fee for certification. We will also have assisters and councilors to help us get the right insurance. Yes, this is confusing and all the details are not available yet.
Exact income limits have not been decided, but households with four people and an income of $92,000 may qualify for the free or low-cost insurance program. The average Montana family of four makes $68,000. Most Montanans will qualify for the free or reduced insurance.
