HELENA – Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Wednesday night in a speech to the Legislature that he is optimistic about the state’s future and proud of accomplishments over the last four years.
The governor said the state faces some challenges, but is doing better than many of its counterparts. His remarks came during his State of the State speech delivered to a joint session of the Montana House and Senate.
The governor, who has requested that spending committees start moving quickly on the budget, told lawmakers they can’t go into overtime like the 2007 Legislature did amid bitter budget disputes.
“I urge you to move forward to escape the failures of the 60th legislative session,” Schweitzer said.
The Democrat said he also would push for a plan — currently stalled in the Legislature — that would set standards for carbon sequestration.
And he wants further rollback of the business equipment tax, adoption of a bill that clarifies the state’s stream access law, full funding for a voter-approved initiative to expand children’s health insurance, and passage of a plan to raise teacher pay.
The State of the State speech is traditionally delivered by the governor in the Legislature’s opening weeks.
Two years ago Schweitzer’s upbeat speech focused on historic economic gains in the state. He also focused on plans to expand energy development, while cutting taxes and increasing spending.
Montana’s coffers are not nearly as robust this time around, and the governor has already had to slash his proposed budget as the recession takes its toll on tax collections.
Schweitzer also noted that optimism and bipartisanship are needed.
The governor gave a hat tip to one of his more outspoken critics, House Republican Leader Scott Sales, when he thanked him and other legislators for standing up to the Patriot Act in 2005 and the federal Real ID in 2007. Schweitzer used the legislation to lead a battle against the federal identification and the Department of Homeland Security.
“History will not judge the last six years kindly, but that same history will know that the Montana Legislature stood up, you were the real patriots,” Schweitzer said.
The governor’s speech emphasized bipartisanship, giving credit to both sides of the aisle. But he did give a small jab to Republicans blocking his favored plan for bringing rules to the developing technology of carbon sequestration.
Schweitzer said companies looking to develop the technology of turning coal into liquid fuel and stripping the carbon dioxide out in the process will only go to states that have laws to accommodate pumping the carbon back into the ground.
A bill carried by Democratic State Sen. Ron Erickson was tabled recently in a GOP-controlled committee amid worries from traditional energy companies that it could interfere with their mineral rights. Schweitzer told Erickson to keep pushing.
“Senator, don’t give up,” he said. “And I ask the six Republican senators who tabled the bill: reconsider. Be part of the future. Start thinking about tomorrow.”
Republicans, in a response delivered by Senate President Bob Story, largely avoided criticizing the governor. Story urged a steady hand in difficult times.
Both Story and Schweitzer highlighted the need to make sure property taxes are not increased during the reappraisal process currently in the Legislature.
Schweitzer spent much of his 40-minute speech looking forward and talking about the economy. He said Montana was somewhat sheltered from the “irrational highs” and will be “protected from the deepest doldrums” facing others.
The governor told the lawmakers, who are dealing with a very tight budget and potential cuts to some areas, that they need to remember who they work for.
“We do have difficult decisions to make together,” he said. “These decision are not just about money, they are about people and families.”