HELENA — It was a whirlwind day for the Montana House of Representatives, with bills being endorsed that could significantly impact nuclear energy production and a heated debate about Montana’s National Guard.
(Lawmakers debate nuclear energy and "Defend the Guard" bills in Montana House of Representatives)
House Bill 404 proposed by Rep. Lee Deming, R-Laurel, saw spirited discussion Wednesday with the bill being brought directly to the floor after an exchange between the sponsor and House Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls.
“These are people that go out and fight fires. They’re there in the middle of an emergency. When there’s a flood you call the National Guard. Now you want to strip all that away. How does that help the people of Montana?” said Fitzpatrick on the floor.
HB 404 would have changed when the Montana National Guard could go into any federal duty – including active duty – requiring the United States Congress to make an official declaration of war. The last time they did this was during World War II and supporters of the bill noted how the guard was still used in Iraq and Iran.
“Hearing a session and a half of horror stories about drug trafficking in Indian country, deliberately targeting your communities, I thought why send our guard overseas when there’s such a need here,” said Deming.
Rep. Tom Millett, R-Marion said, "We don't want our National Guard - we don't want our daughters, our sons, our friends, and our neighbors to go overseas in some undeclared war that we don't agree with, that there's no national consensus in. This is the way that we do it."
(Listen to Rep. Tom Millett discuss HB 404)
Opponents of HB 404 noted that the Montana National Guard is a joint state and federal operation. Two Montana legislators who have served with the Montana National Guard – Rep. George Nikolakakos, R-Great Falls, and Rep. Pete Elverum, D-Helena – spoke out against the bill.
(Listen to Rep. George Nikolakakos discuss HB 404)
"We get most of our training and funding from the federal government. We take our oath, and everything that we do is basically interchangeable and integral to our national defense," said Nikolakakos. "Without the National Guard, we'd be taking away a significant portion of our fighting force. That's really what this bill threatens to do."
HB 404 failed to pass second reading 41 to 58.
Also debated on Wednesday were two bills proposed by Rep. Gary Parry, R-Colstrip, which would set the framework for future nuclear energy production in Montana.
House Bill 623 would allow the creation of facilities to manage the fuel and waste that comes from producing nuclear energy. Montana’s indigenous tribes would be consulted if a facility is created and voters would decide whether or not a plant or storage facility could be established in their county.
HB 623 passed 85 to 14.
House Bill 696 would allow for the creation of facilities that enrich uranium for nuclear-powered energy and allow for the transportation of the material through the state.
Parry says the bill in needed so Montana could be a leader on uranium production and would not be dependent on enriched uranium from Russia.
“This is an issue of making sure that we're not depending on a foreign advisory for our fuel source," said Parry.
HB 696 was endorsed by the House on a vote of 64 to 34.
