2029 Legislative Agenda

After implementing my 2027 agenda, I have highlighted additional important areas that need to be addressed.

Growth and Opportunity

Cascade county has fallen from having the second highest county GDP in the State to now being the fifth highest, and Lewis and Clark County is about to pass Cascade County for fifth place. While retail, construction and medical service’s jobs have grown in the past decade, the County has lagged in other important areas. When the building boom ends, and it will, high paying construction jobs will be at risk. Opportunities in light to medium manufacturing, finance, technology and professional services have, for the most part, not come to Cascade County. It will be important for the long-term prosperity of Cascade County that it starts working with the State to bring more of these living wage opportunities. The Little Shell Chippewa Tribe is a vital part of the community, and we need to ensure we work with the Tribe as opportunities are developed.

Criminal Justice Reform

Continue to implement changes within the criminal justice system to address the root causes of remaining issues. Issues such as private prisons, recidivism, the overuse of incarceration and codifying the moratorium on the death penalty. I expect other issues to come to the front as a root cause analysis is completed.

Legislative Reform

Term limits were overwhelming passed by the voters in 1992 with CI-64. The voter’s intent was very clear. Unfortunately, the legislators identified loopholes which have allowed them to skirt the clear intent of CI-64. The intent of the law was to get rid of career politicians by placing an eight-year limit in a sixteen-year period. What has been done instead is a legislator will serve eight years in the House and “term limit” out, they will then move to the Senate and “term limit” out, then go back to the House and on and on and on and on. You end up with politicians who have been going down to Helena for 20+ years. This is clearly not the spirit of term limits. I will be proposing eight years max service in the Legislator in a lifetime. If you cannot get what you want done in that time, you should move aside and let someone else have a chance.

Additionally, current law allows legislators to only have to live in the County in which they run and serve. I will introduce legislation that will require legislators to live in the district they represent. The House and Senate districts are very large, both geographically and in number of voters. As an example, I don’t think that a district in the center of Great Falls is best represented by someone who lives on the outskirts of Cascade County, and vice-versa.

Paid for by Mark Winters, PO Box 19, Black Eagle, MT, 59414