Urgent email received from Montana Trails Coalition about MT legislative SB 307:
Subject: Action Needed: Oppose SB 307
Good Morning Trail Advocates,
The Montana Trails Coalition encourages you to submit a comment in opposition of Senate Bill 307 (Reallocate Montana Marijuana Tax Revenue) to the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee.
What is Threatened:
SB 307 would eliminate funding to multiple trails, outdoor recreation and conservation programs. Specifically, 20% to the credit of the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to be used solely as funding for wildlife habitat, 4% to the state park account, 4% to the trails and recreational facilities account, and 4% to the nongame wildlife account (pg. 6).
In total, SB 307 would eliminate approximately $33.5 million in funding every two years. Our objective is to build a cohesive voice in opposition of SB 307 in order to project this important funding source!
Action Needed:
Testify in-person: If you are in Helena, please attend the committee meeting this Thursday, February 27th @ 7am in Room 422 of the Capitol. A list of talking points are included at the end of this email.
Email the Committee: If you cannot testify in-person, please email the 12 members of the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee to inform them you oppose SB 307 prior to 4pm tomorrow, February 26th. A one sentence email works best. The email subject line can read, Oppose SB 307. A list of committee member emails is included below.
Committee Members and Contact Info:
Committee Member / Senate District / Email
Mark Noland (Chair) / SD 6 – Bigfork / Mark.Noland@legmt.gov
Willis Curdy (Vice Chair) / SD 49 – Missoula / Willis.Curdy@legmt.gov
Jeremy Trebas (Vice Cahir) / SD 10 – Great Falls / Jeremy.Trebas@legmt.gov
Jason Ellsworth / SD 43 – Hamilton / Jason.Ellsworth@legmt.gov
Bruce “Butch” Gillespie / SD 9 – Ethridge / Bruce.Gillespie@legmt.gov
Gregg Hunter / SD 15 – Glasgow / Gregg.Hunter@legmt.gov
Denley Loge / SD 45 – St Regis / Denley.Loge@legmt.gov
Jacinda Morigeau / SD 46 – Arlee / Jacinda.Morigeau@legmt.gov
Sara Novak / SD 36 – Anaconda / Sara.Novak@legmt.gov
Bob Phalen / SD 17 – Lindsay / Bobby.Phalen@legmt.gov
Susan Webber / SD 8 – Browning / Susan.Webber@legmt.gov
Daniel Zolnikov / SD 22 – Billings / Daniel.Zolnikov@legmt.gov
Please share this information with your network and encourage them to also send an email to have their voice heard in Helena!
Talking Points on SB 307:
SB 307 would strip an estimated $21 million in state revenue from Habitat Montana over the next two years alone. It would take another $12.6 million from state parks, trails and recreation, and nongame wildlife over the same period.
Worse, SB 307 changes the law to permanently reduce the amount of funding dedicated to these popular programs.
Montana has another historic revenue surplus, and the legislature and governor appear to be on track to pass a budget with hundreds of millions in spending increases and tax cuts.
If the legislature thinks the additional programs in SB 307 are necessary, there is more than enough money to fund them without raiding funding from Habitat Montana, state parks, trails, and nongame wildlife.
The governor/legislature can afford to honor Montana’s commitment to public access to public lands while also taking care of public safety and public health.
Please reach out with any questions.
Best,
Tom Lang
Operations Director
Montana Trails Coalition
406-438-3278
