De-icer, beer, federal debt, speed limits and public drunkenness

Among the many bills seen in the Montana Legislature this session were a bill to reduce de-icer on state roads, two bills that would have changed how breweries were regulated, a resolution calling for a balanced budget amendment in the U.S. Constitution, and bills to raise speed limits, eliminate term limits for statewide offices, stop the state from collecting union dues, help the city of Billings address public drunkenness and make it easier for motor vehicles to pass bicyclists.

• A bill that would have imposed limits on the amount of de-icer put on state roads failed to pass in the Senate on Feb. 26. Senate Bill 262, sponsored by Sen. Chas Vincent, R-Libby, and supported by Sen. Dee Brown, R-Hungry Horse, was defeated in the Senate by a 31-19 on third reading.

Brown said the state uses more liquid de-icer on the roads every year, which posed serious consequences.

“There are trees dead along our roads,” she said. “We have the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi in my county, and I am very concerned that the continuing runoff of chlorine-based products is not good for us.”

Sen. Dick Barrett, D-Missoula, objected to Brown’s claim that the amount of de-icer used on state roads had increased six-fold over the past seven years. He said the Montana Department of Transportation is using less overall salt by using liquid chemicals. Use of a sand-salt mixture in the past was less effective in dealing with ice on roads, Barrett said, and the liquid chemicals do a better job with less salt.

Sen. Bob Keenan, R-Bigfork, supported the bill, noting that vehicle mechanics in his district had reported more corrosion from liquid de-icer. He also cited studies showing that pine beetles lived longer after consuming magnesium chloride, thus posing more threats to Montana forests.

A fiscal note accompanying SB 262 estimated the cost to the state of reducing liquid de-icer at $8 million to $10 million.

• Two bills intended to help Montana’s booming beer brewing industry were tabled by the House Business and Labor Committee on Feb. 11, each by a 9-10 vote.

House Bill 326, the 2015 Montana Brewers Act, was introduced by Rep. Pat Noonan, D-Anaconda, on Jan. 27. The bill would allow brewers to hold a retail beer or all-beverage license, and for businesses with a retail beer or all-beverage license to brew beer.

House Bill 336, which was backed by the Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association, representing 22 beer and wine distributors across the state, would allow microbreweries with tap rooms to increase production from 10,000 barrels a year to 60,000 barrels. The idea was to help microbreweries grow without disrupting existing alcohol resulations.

• A House Joint Resolution that would have made Montana the 26th state to call for a constitutional convention to add a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution was turned down in the Montana House by 23-77 on a second reading on Feb. 19.

Rep. Matthew Monforton, R-Bozeman, who sponsored HJ 4, said a constitutional convention was the only way to get out-of-control federal spending under control. Opponents warned that once a constitutional convention started, anything could happen.

• A bill that would have raised the top speed limit in Montana from 75 mph to 80 was defeated on a blast vote in the House by 44-56 on Feb. 24.

House Bill 480, sponsored by Rep. Mike Miller, R-Helmville, had been tabled in the House Transportation Committee. Miller said traffic studies showed that many drivers in Montana already were driving “pretty close to 80.”

• A bill calling for a constitutional amendment to end term limits for statewide elected officials in Montana was tabled by the Senate Judiciary Committee by 9-3 on Feb. 24.

Senate Bill 383, sponsored by Sen. Bradley Hamlett, D-Cascade, sought to eliminate term limits for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor, superintendent of public instruction and secretary of state. Term limits were approved by Montana voters by a 2-1 margin in 1992.

• A right-to-work bill met with little support in the House Business and Labor Committee on Feb. 23.

Rep. Art Wittich, R-Bozeman, spoke in favor of his bill, House Bill 462, but 30 people spoke against it.

Under the bill, the state would no longer collect union dues from state workers through payroll deductions. The bill would have affected 10,000 state workers, but local governments would be able to do the same, Wittich said.

• A bill that would ban public drunkenness and allow police to arrest intoxicated people was unanimously passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 24. Senate Bill 360, sponsored by Sen. Doug Kary, R-Billings, was scheduled for a second reading in the Senate on Feb. 26.

The measure would assist efforts by the Downtown Billings Alliance, which had researched problems in Billings and found that 74 intoxicated people there had cost the city $8 million in emergency services, arrests and citations.

“We feel like we’re failing to assist this population and failing to provide quality of life,” said Lisa Harmon, executive director of the Downtown Billings Alliance.

• A bill that would allow motor vehicles to use the left lane in no-passing zones when passing bicyclists was passed by the House by 89-9 on a third reading on Feb. 7.

House Bill 280, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Essman, R-Billings, was scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee on Feb. 19.