Legislature

A state program that requires utilities to buy from small-scale, locally owned renewable energy projects in Montana is facing a do-or-die moment in Helena. Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, is pushing Senate Bill 78, which would eliminate the Community Renewable Energy Projects program. The bill passed a final vote last week in the Senate 30-19 and now moves into the House of Representatives.

Week 7 of the 2017 Montana Legislature is in the books, and with it debates on charter schools, discrimination based on sexual identity, juvenile court records, liquor licenses for retirement homes and the regulation of farm-produced goods. We've got the wrap-up here, concise but meaty too.

The Montana House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would shutter the Office of the Commissioner of Political Practices, which some critics say could put the integrity of Montana elections in jeopardy.

Montana Republicans furthered their efforts to dismantle the Office of the Commissioner of Political Practices by introducing a bill Friday that would prohibit past, present and future commissioners from doing any work for the office. Rep. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, is the sponsor of House Bill 406, which would also prevent serving commissioners from calling past commissioners for clarification on issues.

A bill entering the Montana House would allow counties to have initial attack authority on wildfires if they believe they can move more quickly, or if they have more resources than the agency responsible for fire protection in the affected area. Rep. Bob Brown, R-Thompson Falls, said he doesn’t want House Bill 481 to force counties to do anything, or to interfere with any existing firefighting partnerships.

Supporters of Senate Bill 58 said Thursday that they’re scared to report damages covered under their insurance policies because they might be disqualified from renewing those policies. The bill would make it so that zero-dollar claims, which do not pay out any money to the insured, would not be allowed to count against someone for their insurance.

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would force insurance companies to set auto insurance rates based on an individual’s driving record, rather than using personal characteristics like online shopping habits and education.

A bill in the Montana Legislature would reduce the number of training hours a cosmetologist or barber needs to apply for a license in the state. Montana requires 2,000 total curriculum hours to apply to be a licensed cosmetologist. House Bill 393 would bring that number down to 1,500.

A group of residents from Buffalo Terrace Hill, a senior living facility in Kalispell, want the ability to drink alcoholic beverages in their home, they told the House Business and Labor Committee. House Bill 430 would make that possible by allowing senior living facilities to apply for liquor licenses. In his opening statements, Rep. Adam Hertz, R-Missoula, jokingly called the bill the “Make Retirement Homes Great Again Act of 2017.”

Lawmakers heard testimony on a bill Wednesday that would supersede federal law for any future ban on firearms and magazines. Senate Bill 99 would create the “Montana Federal Firearm and Magazine Ban Enforcement Prohibition Act” and would force local law enforcement agencies in Montana to ignore current and future federal bans on firearms.