A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis, serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. © James Conner.
Raw milk, HB-245. After receiving approval 66–34 on the second reading in the House last week, the bill was referred to the appropriations committee, where it sits. A new fiscal note has been requested. I doubt the bill can be stopped in the House, but it might die in the Senate.
Medicaid expansion. Sen. Ed Buttrey (R-Great Falls) is preparing a Medicaid expansion bill. This may be LC1145. According to Mike Dennison’s story:
The proposal would offer Medicaid coverage to those earning below 138 percent of the poverty level, about $16,200 for a single person, and also offer them help to become employed at higher-paying jobs and eventually move off the program. They’d also pay a premium for the insurance coverage and face an asset test, to prevent those with valuable property from getting on the program.
Pay close attention to the asset test. It’s one thing to disqualify applicants who own 5,000 shares of Apple and bags and bags of gold Krugerrands, but a cold-hearted thing to disqualify applicants who own an old car and a house that’s seen better days.
Over at Montana Cowgirl, Steve Muth has an excellent guest essay on Medicaid, When ideology trumps fact, citizens become the victims. After the arguments over cost and moral hazard are exhausted, the issue become one of basic humanity. What kind of people deny their fellow human beings meaningful access to health care?
CSKT compact, SB-262. After passing the Senate and moving to the House, it was sent to the judiciary committee awaiting a hearing date. In the meantime, the opponents, increasing frantic and unprincipled, are spreading rumors. One is that the off-reservation instream flow rights inflict a river access easement on private property (this claim is a pile of oats that just passed through the horse). Another is that Flathead Lake will be drawn down too low for boats to float during the summer recreation (another organically processed pile of oats). Sen. Richard Barrett has a good post on the confusion over lake levels.
Kerr Dam controls the level of Flathead Lake. Even after the CSKT assume ownership of the dam in September, its operation will be constrained by its license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, plus other agreements governing the operation of the Columbia Basin rivers and dams. The license sets the legal full pool at 2893 Somers datum. Ownership will change, but the levels of the lake during the mid-June to mid-September recreation will pretty much stay where they do now, between 2892.5 and 2893.0 Somers Datum.
License plate scanning restrictions, HB-344. Approved 56–44 on its third reading in the House yesterday, with 34 Democrats and 10 Republicans opposed. The majority, although large, is not veto-proof.
HB-344 pretty much stops cops from setting up scanning stations at the city limits just to see who’s coming to town or getting out of Dodge, then storing those time, place, and vehicle data in a database where the constable can go fishing for something he thinks is suspicious. Proponents of dragnet scanning think it’s a fine way to fight crime, combat terrorism (a specific kind of crime), and generally keep tabs on citizens so they can be kept in line.
Democrats like to accuse Republicans of being the police state party, but in this case Democrats are the ones opposing fetters on Big Brother.
I would have voted for this bill. I believe Gov. Bullock will veto it after it passes the Senate.