(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Montana legislative Democrats: Gianforte's budget 'doesn't meet the scale of the crisis' – Daily Montanan [1] ['Keila Szpaller', 'More From Author', '- January'] Date: 2023-01-02 Democratic lawmakers said Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s budget addresses problems in Montana, but it doesn’t go nearly far enough to make headway on critical economic challenges in the state, such as crises in housing costs and childcare. “It doesn’t meet the scale of the crisis,” said House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, D-Helena, on Monday. “It’s not that he doesn’t address some of these issues. It’s that the benefit goes to the people who don’t need it very much.” In a press conference on the first day of the 68th Montana Legislature, Democrats discussed their priorities and shared evidence of the economic crises in the state, such as the cost of housing and effects of power bills on seniors. Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers said families are leaving communities they’ve been a part of for generations because of the lack of affordable homes. And he said working people are living in their cars and trailers because of the high cost of housing. “I could only imagine what that was like when it was 45 below,” said Flowers, D-Belgrade. Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, said the tough economy means seniors will ration their medicine to pay utility bills and end up in a dangerous situation anyway, wrapped in a blanket sitting next to their stoves in a cold snap. “We were not sent here to only represent the wealthy and well-connected,” Caferro said. “We were sent here to represent all of Montanans, and in particular, the most vulnerable.” But this session, Abbott said legislators have “an unprecedented opportunity” to invest in ways that help Montana communities. She also said Democrats have relationships with Republicans — who hold a supermajority this session — to make headway on those legislative priorities. In addition to increasing workforce housing and addressing the lack of childcare options, legislative Democrats’ priorities include expanding access to mental health care, ensuring reproductive freedom, and providing property tax relief. A significant distinction between the agenda of Democrats and Republicans is the majority will be pushing policies that benefit the wealthiest Montanans and corporations, Abbott said. In those cases, Abbott said Democrats will hold Republicans accountable. On her side of the aisle, Abbott said Democrats will back policies that help working Montanans and main street businesses. She said they will do so in partnership with like-minded Republicans and with support from Montana communities. “We’re serious about that plan, and we’re serious about delivering for our communities,” Abbott said. Senate Minority Whip Shannon O’Brien, D-Missoula said Montanans’ taxes created the budget surplus, and Democrats will be focused on returning it to the right place. In November, the surplus was estimated to be roughly $1.5 billion. “We know that the folks who need and deserve tax relief are the working and middle class — not the ultra-wealthy,” O’Brien said. Rep. Alice Buckley, D-Bozeman, said Democrats will also be working to place a greater value on childcare, “the foundation of our economy,” including so workers aren’t earning poverty wages. Additionally, she said last session, legislators didn’t pass one single substantial piece of legislation to address the housing crisis. “So the time is now,” Buckley said. “We have all been hearing it from our constituents over the past year and beyond.” In a pamphlet distributed during the morning briefing, Democrats presented six different bills focused on reproductive rights, including ones likely to be an uphill fight at the very least this session, such as codifying abortion access. However, members of the minority said Montanans have already shown they value their bodily autonomy and their privacy. “We believe Montanans hold sacred the freedom to make their own health care decisions, and that the government does not belong in your doctor’s office,” Flowers said. In theory, the Republican supermajority has the numbers to support sending constitutional amendments to the ballot, and some 50 are in the works, but Flowers said he believes those efforts will galvanize the public. He also said he believes legislators will listen to the message “that we don’t want you to mess with our constitution.” “I think you will find Montana citizens here in force when those bills are heard,” Flowers said. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/01/02/montana-legislative-democrats-gianfortes-budget-doesnt-meet-the-scale-of-the-crisis/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/