What are the Republicans doing?

There is lots of information out about the first 45 days of Montana’s 62nd legislative session, much of it presented in guest opinions that deserve a response.

The general public is under the impression that divisive social issues sponsored by Republican legislators have taken precedence over bills to spur the economic recovery. This impression is exactly true because that is what happened in the first 45 days of the session.

Two glaring examples of wasted Montana taxpayer time and money stand out:

• Rep. Bob Wagner, R-Harrison, introduced House Bill 205, which would require those seeking the office of U.S. president to present a certified copy of their birth certificate to the Montana Secretary of State’s office before being declared eligible. This bill is part of the nationwide cookie-cutter legislation alluding to the erroneous notion that President Obama is foreign born. What does this bill have to do with jobs for Montanans?

• House Joint Resolution 14, introduced by Rep. Michael More, R-Gallatin Gateway, asserts state sovereignty. It alludes to secession and nullification. The secession and nullification questions were settled once and for all on Palm Sunday in 1865 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. General Lee surrendered to General Grant, and the Civil War effectively ended. What does this bill have to do with jobs for Montanans?

That brings us back to the real question: What are the Republicans doing? Revenue estimates are up by nearly $100 million, and the legislature’s non-partisan revenue forecaster, Terry Johnson, recently said there is enough money to pay for Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s budget priorities.

These priorities encompass public health for children, seniors and those living with disabilities; public safety to keep criminals off the main streets of Montana; and public education. We Democrats know you can’t build a first-class economy with a second-grade education. With more than $350 million in the bank and three sessions of balanced budgets, I’d say Gov. Schweitzer and the Democrats have Montana on the right track.

Furthermore, I can cite three more examples where Republicans have harmed business and job interests in Montana:

• Republicans tabled Sen. Ryan Zinke’s, R-Kalispell, Workers Compensation bill (Senate Bill 243). This bill was a labor-management compromise that had been worked on over the legislative interim.

• Senate Republicans tried to pass a bill (SB 387) that would have reduced partial unemployment insurance benefits for skilled construction workers trying to make ends meet while working far from home and family.

• Senate Republicans passed Sen. Jason Priest’s, R-Red Lodge, Senate Bill 226. Priest’s bill amounts to a tax of 33 percent on independent energy producers of Montana — those farms, businesses and homes using wind turbines and solar panels to create green power — and stifles a mushrooming net-metering industry that supports these projects and accounted for more than 750 quality jobs last year alone.

So what are Democrats doing in jobs promotion? We introduced legislation to invest in workforce training for 21st century jobs and lower the business-equipment tax on small businesses. Our construction-bonding bill will jump-start Montana’s construction industry and help build infrastructure our businesses need to succeed. About $4 million of this bonding bill is slated for Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology to develop the agricultural-industrial trades program on campus.

When I voted last Nov. 2, there were only two political parties on the ballot. One of them is focused on divisive social issues, wasting time and taxpayer money, while the other party is concerned about balancing the budget and creating quality jobs. I submit to all Montanans that the party truly working for jobs in our state is the Democrat party — the real jobs party.

Sen. Mitch Tropila, D-Great Falls, represents Senate District 12, Cascade County.