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Articles by Becky Beard
Steve LaPraim for SD 42 | Becky Beard
Headlines frequently cite games of chaos in Montana politics. That’s why we need to seat Steve LaPraim in the Montana Senate for the 2027 Legislative Session. kAmw6’D ?@E D9J 23@FE =6EE:?8 FD <?@H E92E 96’D 2 r@?D6CG2E:G6 7:CDE[ 2?5 2 #6AF3=:42? D64@?5] w6 @A6C2E6D @? 724ED[ ?@E 6>@E:@?] w6 <?@HD E92E @FC AC@A6CEJ 2?5 :?4@>6 E2I6D 2C6 E@@ 9:89[ 3642FD6 |@?E2?2’D DA6?5:?8 7@C 8@G6C?>6?E AC@8C2>D 2?5 A@=:4:6D 2C6 @FE @7 4@?EC@=]k^Am Sen.
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After more than a year of meetings and hundreds of hours of work per person, we're disappointed to report that the School Funding Interim Commission has fallen short of its
School Funding Commission Falls Short
After more than a year of meetings and hundreds of hours of work per person, we’re disappointed to report that the School Funding Interim Commission has fallen short of its legislatively-mandated tasks (House Bill 153, 2025). As members appointed to the Commission, we feel compelled to give the public our frank assessment of where the Commission succeeded and where it fell flat. We were able to identify a number of the student demographics that need better funding mechanisms.
Does AI have a place in education?
In a recent article in the Philipsburg Mail, a group of local school board representatives and staff weighed in on Artificial Intelligence (AI). This subject is getting heightened attention here in Montana, nationwide and around-the-world. My strong interest in this topic reflects my service on the governing board of the Montana Digital Academy, the state’s online educational program, and my seat on the state legislature’s School Funding Interim Commission.
Primary goals of the School Funding Interim Commission Original
During Montana’s 69th Legislative Session, HB 153 was enacted directing the School Funding Interim Commission (SFIC) to update laws focusing on our educational structure and funding. The seated SFIC membership consists of six senators, six representatives, and eight individuals representing expertise as educators and school administrators, trustees, educational economists and members of the community advocating on behalf of Montana’s roughly 155,000 students in about 400 school districts.
Primary goals of the School Funding Interim Commission
During Montana’s 69th Legislative Session, HB 153 was enacted directing the School Funding Interim Commission (SFIC) to update laws focusing on our educational structure and funding. The seated SFIC membership consists of six senators, six representatives, and eight individuals representing expertise as educators and school administrators, trustees, educational economists and members of the community advocating on behalf of Montana’s roughly 155,000 students in about 400 school districts.
Don’t let the Legislature sell you on a sales tax
We spend a lot of time debating a variety of different issues here in the Montana Legislature. However, many of our neighbors really just want us to address one thing: property taxes. With only 90 days to work every two years, it’s important for us to prioritize policies that the people of Montana sent us here to accomplish. There have been multiple proposals to lower property and income taxes, but few have made their way to the Governor’s desk, with only a handful of weeks left to go this session.
Thank you to area high school students
We have so many wonderful high school students across our Montana who are interested in participating in a multitude of civic services, including the Legislative Page Program. Each Session, the Montana Legislature offers a unique opportunity for young people to engage in the legislative process through the program. Page applicants are juniors and seniors in high school who are at least 16 years old.
State Senate Republicans make progress
The Montana State Senate has been hard at work passing numerous pieces of legislation ahead of our Mar. 7 deadline to transmit general bills to our House colleagues. Senate Republicans remain focused on delivering tax relief, promoting educational excellence, protecting private property rights, reforming our courts, and protecting vulnerable Montanans. As the legislative session continues, we will make further headway on critical issues.
Targeting property tax relief, judicial reform, and more
Four weeks into the legislative session, Senate Republicans are fully engaged to deliver on the promises on which we were elected. One of our top priorities entering this session was property tax relief, with both the House and the Senate considering how to properly provide relief without neglecting local budgets, businesses, and schools. A group of bills have been introduced to address these concerns, and others will make their way to the chamber as the session continues.
Bill protects rights by prohibiting unlawful squatting on private property | Becky Beard
The right to private property is one of the fundamental aspects of life in America, and the Constitution makes sure to establish this. Following that example, the drafters of Montana’s State Constitution included safeguards for private property as well, with ownership and protection of property appearing over a dozen times in the text. In recent years, however, both the nation and the state of Montana have seen an increase in squatting cases.
Bill protects rights by prohibiting unlawful squatting on private property | Becky Beard
The right to private property is one of the fundamental aspects of life in America, and the Constitution makes sure to establish this. Following that example, the drafters of Montana’s State Constitution included safeguards for private property as well, with ownership and protection of property appearing over a dozen times in the text. In recent years, however, both the nation and the state of Montana have seen an increase in squatting cases.
Bill Protects Rights by Prohibiting Unlawful Squatting
The right to private property is one of the fundamental aspects of life in America, and the Constitution makes sure to establish this. Following that example, the drafters of Montana’s State Constitution included safeguards for private property as well, with ownership and protection of property appearing over a dozen times in the text. In recent years, however, both the nation and the state of Montana have seen an increase in squatting cases.
Bill prohibiting unlawful squatting protects private property rights
The right to private property is one of the fundamental aspects of life in America, and the U.S. Constitution makes sure to establish this. Following that example, the drafters of Montana’s Constitution included safeguards for private property as well, with ownership and protection of property appearing over a dozen times in the text. In recent years, however, both the nation and the state of Montana have seen an increase in squatting cases.
New Year brings lower taxes to Montanans
There’s no way Republican legislators would rather ring in a new year than with lower taxes, and that’s exactly what we’ve done to kick off 2024. As of Jan. 1, Montanans of all income levels are now paying lower income taxes, thanks to legislation that just went into effect. Those tax savings will be felt either on upcoming paychecks or when you file your 2024 taxes next year, depending on where and how you get paid. kAm$6?2E6 q:== bhh[ A2DD65 :?
Guest view: New Year brings lower taxes to Montanans
There’s no way Republican legislators would rather ring in a new year than with lower taxes, and that’s exactly what we’ve done to kick off 2024. As of Jan. 1, Montanans of all income levels are now paying lower income taxes, thanks to legislation that just went into effect. Those tax savings will be felt either on upcoming paychecks or when you file your 2024 taxes next year, depending on where and how you get paid.
Guest view: New Year brings lower taxes to Montanans
There’s no way Republican legislators would rather ring in a new year than with lower taxes, and that’s exactly what we’ve done to kick off 2024. As of Jan. 1, Montanans of all income levels are now paying lower income taxes, thanks to legislation that just went into effect. Those tax savings will be felt either on upcoming paychecks or when you file your 2024 taxes next year, depending on where and how you get paid.
New Year Brings Lower Taxes to Montanans
There’s no way Republican legislators would rather ring in a new year than with lower taxes, and that’s exactly what we’ve done to kick off 2024. As of Jan. 1, Montanans of all income levels are now paying lower income taxes, thanks to legislation that just went into effect. Those tax savings will be felt either on upcoming paychecks or when you file your 2024 taxes next year, depending on where and how you get paid.
Becky Beard: Thank you for engaging in political process
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my neighbors in Senate District 40, in both Lewis and Clark and Powell counties, for their participation in the recently held Montana Department of Revenue (MDOR) town halls. Staff at the MDOR held an open town hall in Deer Lodge on July 17. About 50 residents, along with a Powell County commissioner and me, attended to relay our concerns about the new property value appraisals and estimated property tax amounts.
Montanans are getting their money back
Nearly all working-age Montanans, more than half the state’s total population, are getting some welcome news this month: the state is sending them money. Let’s be clear. The money being sent to over 530,000 Montanans is their own money. Montana collected more income taxes, the primary source of revenue for state government, than it needed to fund its obligations during the pandemic recovery year of 2021, leading to a historic budget surplus.
Becky Beard: Montanans are getting their money back
Nearly all working-age Montanans, more than half the state’s total population, are getting some welcome news this month: the state is sending them money. Let’s be clear. The money being sent to over 530,000 Montanans is their own money. Montana collected more income taxes, the primary source of revenue for state government, than it needed to fund its obligations during the pandemic recovery year of 2021, leading to a historic budget surplus.
Becky Beard: Montanans are getting their money back
Nearly all working-age Montanans, more than half the state’s total population, are getting some welcome news this month: the state is sending them money. Let’s be clear. The money being sent to over 530,000 Montanans is their own money. Montana collected more income taxes, the primary source of revenue for state government, than it needed to fund its obligations during the pandemic recovery year of 2021, leading to a historic budget surplus.
Montanans are Getting Their Money Back
Nearly all working-age Montanans, more than half the state’s total population, are getting some welcome news this month: the state is sending them money. Let’s be clear. The money being sent to over 530,000 Montanans is their own money. Montana collected more income taxes, the primary source of revenue for state government, than it needed to fund its obligations during the pandemic recovery year of 2021, leading to a historic budget surplus.
Montanans are getting their money back
Nearly all working-age Montanans, more than half the state’s total population, are getting some welcome news this month: the state is sending them money. Let’s be clear. The money being sent to over 530,000 Montanans is their own money. Montana collected more income taxes, the primary source of revenue for state government, than it needed to fund its obligations during the pandemic recovery year of 2021, leading to a historic budget surplus.
Legislative session wrap-up
The 68th legislative session concluded on day 87, or May 2, leaving a few key bills yet to be considered. A total of 4,639 bill drafts were requested by Montana's elected officials (1,303 more than in the 67th session). Between both chambers, 1,698 bills were introduced; 748 were passed at early count. The motion to sine die (adjourn), called by the Senate minority leader, preempted additional consideration and amendments.
Senate District 40 update
Day 45 of the 68th Legislative session marked the transmittal deadline. This occurred on Friday, March 3, and concluded the opportunity for general bills to transmit to the second chamber. At the end of the deadline, over 800 bills have cleared at least one of the two chambers - nearly 500 from the House and over 300 from the Senate. This is my first session representing Senate District 40, which according to the 2020 Census, is comprised of nearly 22,600 people.
Honor to serve SD40
When a sitting elected official resigns ahead of the expiration of his or her term, a flurry of activities is set in motion, as we experienced in mid November and into this month. The Senator from Senate District 40, comprising areas of both Lewis and Clark and Powell Counties, resigned just ahead of Thanksgiving week. News of this filtered in while attending Legislative Caucusing and Orientation at the Capitol.
Letter: Thank you HD80 voters and neighbors around the state.
Letter: Thank you HD80 voters and neighbors around the state. Share Tweet 0 Comments Last updated 10/5/2022 at 9:33am Thank you HD80 voters and neighbors around the state. Your engagement with elected officials is heartening, especially when referencing our US and Montana Constitutions. We are also expanding the conversations about education, our economy, our rule of law, our tax policies, and yes, most importantly, our Montana way of life.
Panel offers commonsense taxation revisions for Montana's forest land industries
A number of people -- private citizens, elected legislators and state staff -- achieved a quiet accomplishment recently. During the 2021 Legislative Session, two bills (Senate Bill 262 and SB 263) were passed to revise the duties of the Forest Lands Taxation Advisory Committee (FLTAC), and charge that advisory committee to examine and modernize the tax rate on Forest Land (Class 10) properties. Members of FLTAC have been meeting since July 9, 2021.
Letter: Thanks for sharing training
On Oct. 13, a number of the area’s elected officials received an invitation from the Lewis and Clark County Elections Supervisor providing a number of opportunities to observe and learn about the voting process in the County. I want to thank the staff for sharing their training process for tracking and counting returned ballots. Included in the Oct.
Letter: Curriculum concerns should drive involvement
Conversations over the past few months reflect a lot of concern about Montana's children returning to school, and the curriculum being provided there. One thing's for certain -- families are becoming increasingly vocal about the public school environment. This is underscored by the parents who have necessarily become much more engaged with their children's school work since the 2020 onset of the pandemic.
In Session: Legislators complete work
By Becky Beard - R Montana House District 80 In Session: Legislators complete work Share Tweet 0 Comments May 6, 2021 Montana’s legislators completed work for the 67th Session on Thursday, April 29 (ten days ahead of schedule). Our primary Constitutional duty is to pass a balanced budget, which we did conservatively with the mandate of you, our voters. We passed legislation to promote the Governor’s Montana Comeback Plan, reforming taxes to promote job growth and wages.
Guest view: An update on Legislative Week
Rep. Becky Beard (R-Elliston) Rep. Becky Beard (R-Elliston) Montana’s legislators convened at the Capitol last week for a Legislative Week, sponsored by the Legislative Council and the Legislative Finance Committee. This event provided your elected officials with an opportunity to review and discuss budget trends and policies ahead of next year’s session. In conjunction with the event, a number of regularly scheduled legislative interim committees met to continue their assigned work.
Initiative I-186 Would Hurt the State Economy
There’s an old saying that, “If it can’t be grown or raised, it must be mined.” And in Montana — where mining is among our largest economic drivers and our state motto is Oro y Plata (gold and silver) — mining plays a critical role in sustaining communities and families across the state. I-186, the misleading initiative that claims to promote “responsible” mining, is backed by a coalition of out-of-state environmental groups, and if successful in November, would stop future mines.
I-186 hurts Montana taxpayers
There’s an old saying that, “If it can’t be grown or raised, it must be mined.” And in Montana — where mining is among our largest economic drivers and our state motto is oro y plata (gold and silver) — mining plays a critical role in sustaining communities and families across Montana.Initiative 186, the misleading initiative that claims to promote “responsible” mining, is backed by a coalition of out-of-state environmental groups, and if successful in November, would stop future mines.
Thank you to area high school students
We have so many wonderful high school students across our Montana who are interested in participating in a multitude of civic services, including the Legislative Page Program. Each Session, the Montana Legislature offers a unique opportunity for young people to engage in the legislative process through the program. Page applicants are juniors and seniors in high school who are at least 16 years old.
A recap of the 2017 legislative session
The 65th Legislative Session adjourned on Friday, April 28, and elected representatives returned to their home districts.When this Session convened, the state was faced with a depleted reserve fund due to overspending during the past biennium by the administration. We were committed to NOT spending “one more penny“ on new programs until better accountability methods were achieved.
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