Gov. Greg Gianforte offered his third State of the State address Monday in the Montana House of Representatives. Gianforte says he’s optimistic for the future of Montana, and for the country at large, with the election of President-elect Donald Trump.
“Last Thursday, I had the great honor of having dinner with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. And I can tell you, he is ready to get to work.”
Gianforte says he’s ready to go to work, too. He hailed the achievements of his last term during his speech, but he didn’t mince words when talking about where he wants to see change.
With the state’s Supreme Court justices sitting front row, Gianforte criticized their decisions to block policies that he supported aimed transgender Montanans. The governor said the justices, who run in nonpartisan elections, have political bias.
“And our courts? Well, they’ve sided with the far-left,” he said.
The justice have ruled that the laws violate Montana’s Constitution, or are likely to, as several cases play out.
Tension has been brewing between the judicial and legislative branches for years. GOP lawmakers want tighter restrictions on the judiciary this session. For the first time, Gianforte called on lawmakers to pass a bill that would make state Supreme Court elections partisan.
“Montanans have a right to know the values and principles of the judges they elect,” Gianforte said.
Gianforte returned to his consistent message that he wants to create good-paying jobs and boost economic opportunity. He says a top priority to see that vision through is cutting taxes. He’s proposed further cuts to the state’s income tax and a change in how property taxes are levied. His headline bill would shift some of Montana’s primary residents’ property tax burden onto out-of-state owners of second properties.
“To deliver a permanent homestead rate cut for Montana homeowners this year, the bill needs to become law by the middle of February,” Gianforte said.
The governor highlighted current policies he thinks deserve more funding. That includes a program that funds infrastructure for new housing developments, another to increase early career teacher pay, and a tax credit that benefits families who choose private school education.
He also offered new ideas, like a task force to study energy and utilities. Gianforte said he’ll stand up the Unleashing Energy Task Force in the coming weeks. He hopes that venture will be easier under the Trump administration.
“While demand for power rises, the heavy hand of the federal government has thwarted energy development,” Gianforte said.
One topic that’s likely to dominate the legislative session is Medicaid expansion – the government health insurance for low-income adults. Gianforte, in his budget, called for the state to renew the program before it expires this spring, but he did not mention the program during his speech. The issue is divisive among Republicans.
But that policy is a top priority for Democrats. Democratic Sen. Shane Morigeau of Missoula gave his party’s rebuttal to Gianforte’s address and highlighted the program.
"Renewing Medicaid is critical to keeping Montanans healthy and for ensuring we have adequate health care coverage, not only in urban areas, but also in rural Montana and in Indian Country," Morigeau said.
The Democratic Party is in the minority in both chambers of the statehouse, but clawed back 12 seats in the last election. They’ve pushed back against efforts to target the judiciary, and would like the state to do more to mitigate the state’s high cost of living.
“Affordability is a cornerstone opportunity, yet between housing, property taxes, child care, and health care costs all on the rise, too many Montanans are struggling to make ends meet," Morigeau said.
On the opposite end of the political spectrum is the hard-right Montana Freedom Caucus. The members of the Republican faction held a press conference after Gianforte’s speech. Rep. Jerry Schillinger of Circle, the caucus’ chair, said the governor’s budget spends too much.
“Our direction isn’t shrinking government, we’re continuing to grow government at too fast of a pace. So that’s one of the things we have to work on this session.”
The Freedom Caucus says the state should not renew Medicaid expansion as it offers coverage to working adults. The state paid about 10% of the cost of the program in the last fiscal year at about $100 million. The federal government picked up the rest of the cost.
The Freedom Caucus says they do agree with Gianforte on regulating the judiciary.
