How did our elected Representative (a member of the House Appropriations Committee) vote. Three guesses.

http://www.greatfallstrib.../70747518/

http://billingsgazette.co...=og.shares

While Republican legislators have supported tax giveaways to multi-national corporations, their budget hurts Montana small businesses and manufacturing:


The Republican budget slashes the Economic Development program that provides tax incentives and low-interest financing to help Montana’s small businesses. [HB 2, Amendment A006, House Vote, 3/18/15;Business.mt.gov, accessed 3/19/15]

Republican legislators voted against restoring funding for the micro-business program that provides loans, training and technical assistance to small Montana businesses with fewer than 10 employees. [HB 2, Amendment A028, House Vote, 3/18/15; Businessresources.mt.gov, accessed 3/19/15]

Republicans stood against the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center which provides growth services to small and mid-sized manufacturers. [HB 2, Amendment A013, House Vote, 3/18/15; MissoulaPartnership.com, accessed 3/19/15]

Outside of decimating job growth, the Republican budget further went after Montana’s children and students, slashing the children's health care program, cutting grants and scholarships that relieve student debt burdens, and rejecting the Governor’s “Early Edge” initiative.

The Republican budget cut $20 million from the CHIP program which covers poor uninsured children. [Billings Gazette, 3/22/15]

Republican legislators twice voted to slash higher education grants which provide aid to Montana students. [HB 2, Amendment E001; House Vote, 3/19/15;Amendment E002; House Vote, 3/19/15]

The Republican budget got rid of the Governor’s “Best and the Brightest” Scholarship program which provides Montana residents with greater access to Montana colleges. [HB 2, Amendment E003; House Vote, 3/19/15; MSU.edu, accessed 3/20/15]

He also voted against the very reasonable employee pay plan agreed upon by state employee unions and the governor. Due to that, state employees will each pay out more than $2,000 each in increased insurance costs.

The impact of this for Custer County is more than $700,000 and more than $32.5 million for the state of Montana. This is money that state employees would spend in their communities.

I have been a proud state employee for the last twenty six years. We went more than six years without raises until the last legislative session. It was less than the amount agreed upon by state employee unions and the governor.

The majority Republican party asked us to bring a flat pay increase rather than a percentage increase this year. We did exactly as they asked. And our House representative voted against the bill. I have e-mailed him at least thirty times and called him more than a few times. I have yet to hear from him.