News

Montana Legislative Alert – Call to Action on 2010 Montana Economic Development Programs !!!! Your Support is Needed!

January 9, 2009 /

MATR Sponsor (view all)

Welcome to MEDA: Leadership Dedicated to Building Montana's Economy

HB 123 http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2009/billhtml/HB0123.htm is the bill the administration will support that extends the sunset of our key Montana economic development programs.

The hearing is Monday, January Jan 12th, House Approps, Room 102, 3:00pm.

Funding remains the same for all programs….except Research and Commercialization funds and Growth through Agriculture funds will be reduced by half. While these cuts are painful, no key economic development programs will be lost in the proposed budget cuts. It is hoped that in future legislative sessions and in better economic times, these lost dollars can be restored and funds increased for all of our programs.

ACTION ITEMS:

v If possible, plan to attend the hearing on Monday and testify. Ask your board members and business representatives that have benefited from the programs to testify as well.

v Contact House Appropriation members to express your support. If you can’t be in Helena you can still make a difference:

o If you cannot be in Helena, draft a letter of support for the bill addressed to the House Appropriations Committee on your letterhead and fax to the MEDA office at 406.563.5476. These will be hand delivered.

o Telephone or email messages to the Appropriations Committee members (especially those who have members in their regional areas) asking for their support of HB123.

§ By Telephone: Call the Session Information Desk at 406-444-4800 to leave a message for as many as five legislators per call. Your message will be delivered directly to the legislators. The Session Information Desk is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 8 a.m. to adjournment on Saturdays.

§ Email: You may send a message using this online message form. http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/61st/legwebmessage.asp

If these programs go away, it will be extremely difficult to reconstruct the current framework of programs. At least two other sunset bills are out there, but this is the only one that would survive a veto. Thank you for your response to this call to action.
House Appropriation Committee Members

Member

Assignment

Jon C Sesso http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/61st/leg_info.asp?HouseID=0&SessionID=94&LAWSID=3859

Chair

Duane Ankney http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/61st/leg_info.asp?HouseID=0&SessionID=94&LAWSID=5151

Member

Dennis Getz http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/61st/leg_info.asp?HouseID=0&SessionID=94&LAWSID=6465

Member

Bill E Glaser http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/61st/leg_info.asp?HouseID=0&SessionID=94&LAWSID=128

Member

Ray Hawk http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/61st/leg_info.asp?HouseID=0&SessionID=94&LAWSID=2607

Member