This past week the focus of the Legislature has been on the now 8 state funding bills being considered by the House floor action. Several of the bills have passed 2nd reading on party line votes. Although the Department of Commerce general fund budget is included in these bills, the funding for the Montana Promotion Division is statutorily appropriated and not affected. In addition to these bills there was a lot of activity on bills that the Montana Promotion Division has been following.
Highlights from this past week:
HB 40 (Gallik) “Amending the Big Sky on the Big Screen Act” was referred to the Senate Taxation Committee, but no hearing has been scheduled yet.
HB 106 (Cordier): Removes Commerce as ombudsman regarding Flathead Lake management. This bill has passed both houses and has been forwarded to the Governor for his action on the bill.
HB 531 (Lambert): Designate warrior trail. This bill is scheduled for 3rd reading in the Senate today, Friday, 3/16/07, where it is anticipated it will pass. It then will be forwarded to the Governor for his action on the bill.
HB 574 (Hiner): Assist Deer Lodge in rebuilding Rialto theater. This bill was scheduled for hearing in House Appropriation Committee today, Friday, 3/16/07 upon adjournment of the House. The bill requests an appropriation of $500,000 from the state general fund to the Department of Commerce for the biennium beginning July 1, 2007, for grants to assist in the restoration and renovation of historical and cultural arts centers impacted by a disaster. The department shall use a competitive application process in awarding grants.
HB 667 (O’Hara) Funding for Lewis and Clark tourism site endowments. This bill was heard in House Appropriation Committee on Tuesday, 3/13/07. The bill would transfer $2 million from the general fund to the Lewis and Clark Heritage Tourism trust fund which would be created. The board of trustees of the Montana Historical Society would accept applications and award grants from the fund to private, nonprofit organizations that have as their sole purpose and mission the promotion of the historical aspects of the Lewis and Clark expedition and its connections to Montana. No action has been taken.
SB 29 (Frank Smith): Establish Robert E. Ewing Jr. memorial highway. This bill was passed by the House and on its way to the Governor for his action on the bill.
SB 88 (Hawks): Extend the allocation of funds to the heritage preservation and development account. The House removed the sunset date for the $400,000 heritage preservation and development account. It has been returned to the Senate for action on that amendment.
Upcoming highlights: Next Thursday, March 22, will be a very busy day for bills that are associated with tourism. There are numerous bills that are being heard that day including the Tourism Partners Plan – “Best Place First Initiative”.
HB 5 (Callahan) Long-range building appropriations. This bill is scheduled for hearing in House Appropriations on Thursday, March 22, at 8:00 a.m. in Room 102.
HB 9 (Kasten) Cultural and aesthetic grants. This bill is scheduled for hearing in House Appropriations on Thursday, March 22, at 8:00 a.m. in Room 102.
HB 235 (Dutton) Business improvement district law. This bill is scheduled for hearing in Senate Local Government on Thursday, March 22, at 3:00 p.m. in Room 303.
SB 233 (Elliot) Allow multiple counties to create museum districts. This bill is scheduled for hearing in House Taxation on Thursday, March 22, at 8:00 a.m. in Room 152.
SB 284 (Moss/Perry) Tourism Partners Plan – “Best Place First Initiative”. This bill is scheduled for hearing in House Taxation on Thursday, March 22, at 8:00 a.m. in Room 152.
SB 299 (Moss) Revise laws on historic preservation and cultural tourism. This bill is scheduled for hearing in House Taxation on Thursday, March 22, at 8:00 a.m. in Room 152.
The Montana Promotion Division is monitoring a number of bills that effect administration of state programs, as well as various aspects of the tourism and film industry. The chart below is for introduced bills that may have a direct impact on the accommodation tax or issues important to the tourism and film industry.
When looking at the status of a bill on this chart, here are some helpful hints:
- Referred to committee means the bill has been assigned to the committee, but the hearing date has not been set.
- Hearing means a hearing is scheduled.
Bill Type - Number |
Primary Sponsor |
Status |
Status Date |
Short Title |
HB 2 |
John Sinrud |
(H) Tabled in Committee* -- (H) Appropriations |
02/14/2007 |
General appropriations act |
HB 5 |
Tim Callahan |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations |
03/22/2007; 8 AM, Rm 102 |
Long-range building appropriations |
HB 9 |
Dave Kasten |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations |
03/22/2007; 8 AM, Rm 102 |
Cultural and aesthetic grants |
HB 40 |
Dave Gallik |
(S) Referred to Committee -- (S) Taxation |
03/09/2007 |
Revise state movie incentive laws |
HB 106 |
Douglas Cordier |
(H) Transmitted to Governor |
03/15/2007 |
Remove Commerce as ombudsman regarding Flathead Lake management |
HB 235 |
Ernie Dutton |
(S) Hearing -- (S) Local Government |
03/22/2007; 3 PM, Rm 303 |
Business improvement district law |
HB 284 |
Shannon Augare |
(H) Transmitted to Senate |
03/09/2007 |
Improve Giant Springs state park - agreement with Little Shell Tribe |
HB 299 |
Mike Milburn |
(S) Referred to Committee -- (S) Judiciary |
03/07/2007 |
Revise laws governing ski areas and passenger ropeways |
HB 348 |
Jim Keane |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations |
03/12/2007; 9 AM, Rm 102 |
Increase out-of-state snowmobile fees |
HB 377 |
Harry Klock |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations |
01/30/2007; UPON ADJ, Rm 102 |
Appropriation for forest service history museum and education center |
HB 451 |
Julie French |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations |
02/12/2007; UPON ADJ, Rm 102 |
Small town renewal program |
HB 480 |
Bob Lake |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations |
02/06/2007; UPON ADJ, Rm 102 |
Fund restoration, operation, and maintenance of Daly mansion |
HB 519 |
Dave Kasten |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations |
02/13/2007; 9 AM, Rm 102 |
Fund Montana cowboy hall of fame |
HB 531 |
Carol Lambert |
(S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading |
03/16/2007 |
Designate warrior trail |
HB 539 |
George G Groesbeck |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations |
02/13/2007; 9 AM, Rm 102 |
Appropriate funds for Butte-Silver Bow cultural development |
HB 574 |
Cynthia Hiner |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations |
03/16/2007; upon adj, Rm 102 |
Assist Deer Lodge in rebuilding Rialto theater |
HB 667 |
Jesse O'Hara |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Appropriations |
03/13/2007; 8 AM, Rm 102 |
Funding for Lewis and Clark tourism site endowments |
HB 691 |
Dan Villa |
(H) Tabled in Committee* -- (H) Education |
03/08/2007 |
Create Montana Film Arts Program |
HB 759 |
Gordon R Hendrick |
(S) Hearing -- (S) Fish and Game |
03/15/2007; 3 PM, Rm 422 |
Revise fee system funding search & rescue |
HJ 3 |
John L Musgrove |
(H) Filed with Secretary of State |
02/12/2007 |
Urge port of Wild Horse be kept open 24 hours |
SB 29 |
Frank Smith |
(S) Returned from Enrolling |
03/15/2007 |
Establish Robert E. Ewing Jr. memorial highway |
SB 76 |
Kim Gillan |
(S) Returned from Enrolling |
03/15/2007 |
Revise law on agency access to tax and revenue information |
SB 78 |
Lane L Larson |
(H) Referred to Committee -- (H) Fish, Wildlife and Parks |
03/07/2007 |
Clarify stream access from bridges |
SB 88 |
Bob Hawks |
(H) Returned to Senate with Amendments |
03/13/2007 |
Extend indefinitely funding to heritage preservation and development account |
SB 100 |
Larry Jent |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Fish, Wildlife and Parks |
03/22/2007; 3 PM, Rm 152 |
Revise outfitter laws/ felony outfitting without license |
SB 174 |
Jim Elliott |
(S) Hearing -- (S) Taxation |
01/11/2007; 9 AM, Rm 405 |
Revise laws on revenue administration |
SB 233 |
Jim Elliott |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Taxation |
03/22/2007; 8 AM, Rm 152 |
Allow multiple counties to create museum districts |
SB 284 |
Lynda Moss |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Taxation |
03/22/2007; 8 AM, Rm 152 |
Revise allocation of bed tax and taxes on rental cars |
SB 299 |
Lynda Moss |
(H) Hearing -- (H) State Administration |
03/20/2007; 8 AM, Rm 455 |
Revise laws on historic preservation and cultural tourism |
SB 301 |
Lynda Moss |
(S) Transmitted to House |
02/17/2007 |
Authorize bond issuance for historic preservation |
SB 318 |
Jim Peterson |
(H) Referred to Committee -- (H) Judiciary |
03/12/2007 |
Extend recreational use immunity to aircraft |
SB 418 |
Dan Weinberg |
(H) Referred to Committee -- (H) Taxation |
03/16/2007 |
Revise distribution of lodging facility use taxes |
SB 431 |
Greg Lind |
(H) Referred to Committee -- (H) Natural Resources |
03/16/2007 |
Revise standards for hot springs |
SB 525 |
Jim Elliott |
(H) Referred to Committee -- (H) Taxation |
03/15/2007 |
Clarify duties of state treasurer regarding deposit of tax and fees |
SJ 3 |
Dan Weinberg |
(H) Hearing -- (H) Fish, Wildlife and Parks |
04/03/2007; 3 PM, Rm 152 |
Urge funding for restoration of parks, battlefields, and monuments |
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Remember, the legislature has now set up a system for contacting representatives by e-mail.
http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/60th/default.asp
Just a reminder that the 2007 Montana Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Recreation will be held in Helena at the Red Lion Inn, on April 2nd and 3rd. For conference information and registration form please refer to: http://www.travelmontana.state.mt.us/conference/
Until next week…
