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PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS
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This foundation has recently grown to over a million dollars. If you are a student or parent, you should go to our website at montanafarmersunion.com and click on the education tab to see available scholarships. MFU is planning to help fund a meat processing curriculum at MSU Northern. If you want to help us support educational opportunities, contact me, and we can discuss the many ways you can help.
the fire. They hold fundraisers and apply for grants to buy the equipment they need. They are our local heroes.
Montana Farmers Union wants to recognize these hometown heroes. We have put together a volunteer firefighters fund and plan to match others to build this fund. Our goal is to buy as many gas cards as possible and give these gas cards to the unpaid fire chiefs of each of the volunteer fire departments in Recently we have seen and heard about the fires Montana to share with their volunteers. There in Denton and how our volunteer firefighters is taxpayer money and grant money available rallied to save most of the town. Among those to fund the equipment and operating costs of firefighters were some of my neighbors who the fire stations. MFU would like to support fought that fire for two days. I read in one the volunteers spending their own money and story that there were over 187 firefighters on time to help us. the scene. Volunteers from a 100-mile radius showed up to help save Denton. We don’t hear If you want to help recognize our volunteer or see the stories of thouands of other fires firefighters and EMT’s contact me at or accidents that volunteers resolved. wschweitzer@montanafarmersunion.com or call me on my cell at 406-799-3782. These volunteers are just that - volunteers. B Y WA LT E R S C H W E I T Z E R They leave their farm, ranch, or job to get to The holidays are a season of giving, and the scene of an accident or fire. They spend Montana Farmers Union has made great countless hours of training and planning to be strides to do our part. In 2015 MFU set better and more organized volunteers. These up an educational foundation to help fund efforts are all on their dime and time. They educational activities and scholarships. pay for their gas to get to the fire station or
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE BY RACHEL PREVOST G O V E R N M E N T A F FA I R S A N D M E M B E R S E RV I C E S
The Montana Legislative Interim committees have been meeting regularly following the end of the 67th Legislative session. Interim Committees work on study bills passed through the legislature, and some committees work on administrative rule reviews and receive agency updates on budgets and programs. The ARPA Commissions have also been meeting to allocate federal funding in a wide variety of grant programs. Montana Farmers Union has been following the Economic Transformation and Stabilization and Workforce Development Commission (EWAC) for grant opportunities in agriculture, commodity processing, and the work of other commissions on rural broadband funding. Furthermore, MFU has tracked the Board of Livestock meetings, Wheat and Barley Committee meetings, and Pulse Crop Committee meetings. A few brief updates
about what some of these boards and com- updates on ARPA Commissions and projects mittees are working on: and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The committee last met on December Revenue Interim Committee: Working on 15, 2021, and is slated to meet again on March the following study bills: HJ 6 “Coal Severance 16, 2022. Tax Trust Fund” and HJ 36 “Residential Property Taxes.”The Revenue committee Water Policy Interim Committee (WPIC): also has administrative rule review, draft The committee is working on the following legislation review, program evaluation, and study bills: HJ 37, “Study of selenium standard monitoring responsibilities for the Montana for Lake Koocanusa,” and SJ 28, “Study of Department of Revenue and the Montana Flathead River erosion” (MFU supported SJ Tax Appeal Board. The committee last met 28 during the 67th legislature). Drought is an Nov. 8-9, 2021, and will meet again Jan. 20- issue the committee is also focused on, water 21, 2022. projects, storage, nutrients, and management. The committee last met Oct. 12-13, 2021, and Interim Budget Committee Section C will meet again Jan. 18-19, 2022. (Natural Resources and Transportation): The subcommittee receives Fiscal Summary Environmental Quality Council (EQC): Reports, Budget updates, and agency program The committee is working on the followupdates from the Department of Natural ing study bill: HJ 27 “Study of funding for Resources and Conservation, Department conservation districts.” The EQC has agenof Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Department cy oversight of the Department of Natural of Environmental Quality, Department of Resources and Conservation, Department of Livestock, Department of Agriculture, and the Fish Wildlife and Parks, and Department of Department of Transportation. Their work Environmental Quality. The EQC received includes joint meetings with other Interim C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 6 Budget Committee sections for reports and 2
