Well, the Montana Legislature is in session, and some of the bills put forward are pretty strange. It is easy to go to leg.mt.gov and let your opinion be known. Go to HOME and choose Send a Web Message to Legislator/Committee...then just follow instructions. Here is one of mine. I am going to post them in case anyone wants to use them as a skeleton for another letter.
You can also leave comments at https://legiscan.com
I am opposed to HB121, which would require elected officials to approve local health board and officer actions. This bill would remove penalties for law enforcement officers who decline to assist local health officers in carrying out local health rules.
Aside from the fact that such penalties have never been enforced, it is extraordinary that anyone in the House would want the State of Montana to maintain a public health system, and then disregard its advice during a pandemic. This bill would deprive Montanans of the expertise of professionals that the public pays to make good decisions. It also feeds into the beliefs of anti-government groups that have been promoting the idea that sheriffs are somehow the ultimate authority.
It is also extraordinary that law enforcement groups, charged with public safety, would support such a bill.
I am writing in opposition to HB122, which limits the governor’s power to issue orders during declared disasters lasting longer than two months, and shifts that authority to state lawmakers during such emergencies. The bill also would allow the legislature to end emergency executive orders issued by the governor, and to allocate federal emergency funds. Fortunately, it does make it easier to convene special sessions during disasters.
Of course, the reason we give the power to declare and manage an emergency to the governor, and not to the legislature, is that such decisions and management must be quick and nimble in order to meet the needs of the situation. A governor also has more staff and resources to evaluate the situation and come up with the best plan.
One has only to imagine how a legislature that meets in regular session for up to 90 working days of every odd-numbered year would manage an emergency. We all know how efficiently group decision-making works, right?
We were fortunate in Montana to have the stunning leadership of Governor Bullock, who acted proactively to keep us from becoming another South Dakota, Arizona, Florida, etc. He made quick effective decisions that spared many lives here and avoided the widespread tanking of our economy by overwhelming hospitalizations, quarantining and deaths.
Please keep Montanans safe by opposing these bills.
Let’s keep Montana strong.
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