Five legislators from around the Hi-Line recently gathered for a town hall in Havre to discuss the 2025 legislative session. The bipartisan group of two state senators and three House representatives faced a room of around 50 constituents in Havre.
All five legislators championed the balanced budget, reducing residential property taxes and continuing Medicaid Expansion.
Chester Republican Sen. Russ Temple also told constituents why he joined nine Republican legislators who deviated from party lines. He recounted a moment with then-Speaker of the House, Rep. Matt Regier.
“We went to lunch and he says ‘You realize we have to kill Medicaid expansion?’ I said ‘You realize I have to see how I can get it passed, because I rely on this for my rural hospitals all the way from Chester to Glasgow’,” Temple said.
Democratic legislators like Havre Rep. Paul Tuss said the bipartisanship delivered results for rural Hi-Line communities.
Hill County Commissioner Sherri Williams agreed with that sentiment. But she’s concerned about the recent loss of federal public health funding and other potential cuts.
“There is a domino effect that affects us far greater than people understand, with these cuts,” Williams said.
She hopes state lawmakers will consider how to fill future gaps resulting from those cuts.
A half hour southeast of where legislators gathered, Big Sandy High School teacher Layne Taylor says he’s encouraged legislators to pass funding to raise starting teacher pay.
“I mean you can go work at Panda Express and make more money than going to college and getting a degree and come try and teach the future generations. And so, that's been a problem,” he said.
Over the next two years, Taylor says he hopes his representatives continue to focus on creating more job opportunities for rural communities like Big Sandy.
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