The Interim

Economic Affairs Interim Committee

EAIC Elects Sen. Vance, Rep. McConnell as Officers

Committee: Economic Affairs Interim Committee
Author: Pat Murdo
Posted on June 19, 2017

Image of the Montana Capitol Building Interior

The Economic Affairs Interim Committee met June 14 at the Capitol and elected Sen. Gordon Vance (R-Belgrade) as presiding officer and Rep. Nate McConnell (D-Missoula) as vice presiding officer. The organizational meeting also included the making of several appointments and a discussion about actions to be taken on three assigned studies.

Among the appointments were:

  • Rep. Vince Ricci (R-Laurel) and Rep. Sharon Stewart-Peregoy (D-Crow Agency) as liaisons to Montana State Fund;
  • Rep. Ricci and Sen. Tom Facey (D-Missoula) as liaisons to the Rail Service Competition Council;
  • Sen. Vance and Sen. Lea Whitford (D-Cut Bank) as EAIC members of the HB 661 study of the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and other labs at Montana State University-Bozeman. Other members of that subcommittee, under the auspices of the Legislative Finance Committee, are two members each from the Environmental Quality Council and the Legislative Finance Committee.
  • Sen. Ed Buttrey (R-Great Falls) and Rep. Mark Noland (R-Bigfork) as EAIC members of the HJR 20 subcommittee to study health care pricing transparency if the Children, Families, Health, and Human Services Interim Committee chooses to have a subcommittee with expanded membership.

In discussions about the work plan and the three studies assigned to the EAIC by Legislative Council, the committee members decided to provide more input on SJR 20, a study of unemployment in high-poverty areas of Montana, and SJR 32, a study of emergency care provider training with attention to care of veterans. The EAIC decided for its third study, SJR 27, to have a subcommittee that will focus on the future of Montana State Fund. The subcommittee will primarily consist of those EAIC members able to attend subcommittee meetings. Stakeholders will be invited to participate and be at the table but not as voting members of the subcommittee.

In other business, the committee:

  • voted to allow member proxies at meetings if the member is absent;
  • asked to get information from studies previously done on the status of Montana State Fund; and
  • agreed to send a letter to Governor Steve Bullock and Labor and Industry Commissioner Pam Bucy to recommend renewal of the Labor-Management Advisory Council.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the EAIC will be Sept. 14 in Room 152 of the Capitol. An agenda and meeting materials will be posted on the committee website as they become available.

Committee website: www.leg.mt.gov/eaic
Committee staff: pmurdo@mt.gov or 406-444-3594

 

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