After extensive debate about various proposals in the waning hours of the Montana State Legislature, the body passed two tax bills: House Bill 231 and Senate Bill 542. More so than tax cuts, amid claims that the new law is complicated, legislators said the new law will “rebalance” the state’s property tax system.

It shifts higher taxes onto business properties and second homes.

Having passed so late in the session, implementing the new law this year is not possible, so legislators added interim rates and a $400 rebate to serve until next year.

 Rep. Llew Jones, (R) Conrad, who introduced the bill, said that it will significantly reduce taxes for owner-occupied homes and long-term rental properties. How much they will experience a tax reduction depends upon what local governing entities, cities and towns, set as budgets. Properties not determined to be primary homes or long-term rentals are likely to see substantial tax increases.

The new law will lower the value of a property used in calculating its tax. The rate or percentage of value that must be paid in taxes, however, can be changed based upon what kind of property it is, which allows the tax burden to be shifted to a different class of property. Higher rates of taxation will be applied to business and agricultural properties.

Governor Gianforte signed into law three bills passed by the Montana State Legislature, which address the state’s environmental laws, largely in response to the Held v. Montana ruling issued by the state Supreme Court last December. Gianforte said, the new law will “provide certainty to Montana businesses, large and small, that are trying to make a living here in our state.” SB 221 was introduced by Wylie Galt (R-Martinsdale). It designates six climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions that the state must inventory in environmental reviews of energy projects — but explicitly directs state agencies to not regulate them. Another bill – -House Bill 291, sponsored by Greg Oblander (R-Billings) – prohibits state agencies from adopting air quality standards stricter than those imposed by federal agencies.

Another bill the Governor signed earlier, HB 285 introduced by Brandon Ler (R-Savage),which repealed sections of an environmental law. The new law directs agencies to consider “the potential long-range character of environmental impacts in Montana and … lend appropriate support to initiatives, resolutions and programs designed to maximize cooperation in anticipating and preventing a decline in the quality of Montana’s environment.”

By Tim Clouser, The Center Square

As farmers grapple with the impact of mass deportations, federal lawmakers proposed a bill to reform the H-2A visa program for those seeking a legal agricultural workforce.

Congress established the visa program in 1952 to temporarily allow foreign farmworkers to work in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 42% of hired farmworkers had no authorization to work in the country from 2020 to 2022, down from 55% from 1999 to 2001. 

The U.S. Government Accountability Office asked federal agencies to improve oversight of the H-2A program last year. From 2018 to 2023, the number of approved jobs and visas increased by over 50%, as 84% of investigations into employers found violations affecting 66,819 workers.

“Reintroducing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act sends a clear message to farmers that we are working hard to find solutions that ease the burdens brought on by the current state of the H-2A program,” U.S. Rep Dan Newhouse, R, Wash., wrote in a news release.

Newhouse proposed the bill alongside U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., after she attempted to push it through in 2019, 2021 and 2023. The House of Representatives passed it twice, but the Senate never did. If approved this time, it could create a legal pathway to residency for farmworkers.

The bill allows undocumented individuals who have worked at least 180 days over the last two years to apply for a certified agricultural worker status. If approved, they could stay for about five years before renewing their status, with spouses and children eligible for dependent status.

If a worker has 10 years of agricultural experience before Congress passes the bill, they would qualify for a green card after four more years under a certified worker status. Those with less than 10 years of experience must complete another eight years before receiving a permanent status.

The bill also responds to the GAO’s concerns around the H-2A program, particularly the lack of an electronic processing system for applications. Employers currently have to mail all those documents.

In almost all categories, earnings in Montana is near the bottom in almost all categories. The following stats, presented by the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, compare income distribution from 2005 to 2019 in Montana based on race.

Average white earnings in Montana is $31,000 as compared to the national average of all races $35,610. Montana’s average is below that of all neighboring states and in fact is the lowest in the nation.

Average Hispanic earnings in Montana is $24,110 or 78% of white earnings – also the lowest in the nation.

Average Black earnings in Montana is $24,800 or 80% of average white earnings.

Average Asian earnings is $20,780 in Montana, 96% of average white earnings. In 2019, nationally average Asian earnings was $49,520, which was 126% of average white earnings at $39,330 and higher than the overage average earnings in the US at $35,610.

Average American Indian or Alaska Native earnings in Montana is $20,790.

Average Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander earnings in Montana is $29,810.