An Eastern Montana Take on the Legislative Session During Buckin’ Horse

We spent some time in Miles City, Montana last weekend for the World Famous Buckin Horse Sale. On Friday morning, just before we kicked off the live radio show, I dropped in to The Ugly Mug coffee shop for a cup of Joe and ran into Rep. Ken Holmlund (R-Miles City). What a great opportunity to get an Eastern Montana take on the legislative session.

First, what a difference it makes to have a governor in Helena who actually gets out to Eastern Montana on a regular basis:

 

Holmlund: "This was a session that we'd been working for, for six sessions, six years, three sessions, because we've had a lot of bills that were really good and good for the state of Montana, and didn't really get them all the way to the finish line. And this year, we were able to get a lot of them. I had three myself that had been vetoed a couple of times having to do with conservation districts, and the fact that they're very important to eastern Montana."

Holmlund also talked about some of the other bills that made it across the finish line, such as a "prevailing wage dispatch city bill."

On top of that, Holmlund highlighted the fact that Miles City native Kurt Alme served as Budget Director and made a huge impact on the legislative session. Alme was able to hit the ground running due to his extensive background in both public and private sector service. Alme is a former Department of Revenue Director and former US Attorney under President Trump.

Rep. Holmlund tells us the legislature left about 10 days still available in case they need to be called back into session. He says there are a couple topics that could call them back into session, including how Montana will spend the federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

Click below for the full audio: