Jim is the current representative for House District 61.

Occupation

Currently serving as the representative for House District 62

Goals

• Protecting Students from Debt
  When he was a teacher at MSU, Tom saw first hand how many students graduate tens of thousands of dollars in debt. As a member of the Education Joint Finance Committee, Tom fought hard to keep tuition low. He will continue to do that as well as fund K-12 education.
  
  Tom will always fight for Montana’s students and teachers. He worked with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to pass a landmark bill endorsed by MEA-MFT to fix teacher pensions while warding off attempts by conservatives to gut these essential retirement plans. Over the past school year, he has worked with special needs kids in our schools and will fight for the programs these families rely on.
  
  
• Ending Corporate Influence in Government
  Corporations have a right to make a profit, but they shouldn’t have the right to make laws. Tom will continue to successfully fight dark money in Montana politics. He will also continue to fight the corporate lobbyists in Helena!
  
  
• Fix Healthcare Now
  Tens of thousands of Montanans still lack insurance, and millions of Americans struggle to pay their rising premiums. Meanwhile, one-in-four Montanans rely on Medicaid to provide their healthcare. Tom will vigorously resist attempts by Republicans to undermine this vital program.
  
  During the last session, Tom wrote and sponsored innovative legislation to impose price controls on hospitals. He also brought bills that exposed the exorbitant salaries some hospitals pay their administrators. Tom is on OUR side.
• Investing in Indian Country
  Native families in Indian Country face a number of challenges, including sub-standard housing conditions, high unemployment, and a chronically underfunded Indian Health Service. We must do better. Tom has vigorously fought for Indian cultural preservation programs and will lead the fight to ensure these communities receive their fair share of state dollars.

Qualifications

• Educator, Current representative for House District 62

Candidate Statement

As a State Representative, Tom has always stood up for progressive causes in the face of fierce resistance by powerful special interests. When Northwestern Energy tried to hike prices on consumers, Tom introduced legislation to stop them—and won, dealing the utility a rare defeat in the legislature. He took on the hospitals and challenged soaring medical costs that send Montana families into bankruptcy every year. In past sessions he helped lead the fight for Medicaid expansion, which gave 80,000 Montanans access to affordable healthcare. Tom will resist any attempt to cut the Medicaid program he worked so hard to expand!

Tom got into public service because he understands how working families in Montana struggle to make ends meet. In the past, he’s been a bartender, a musician, and a bellhop. Now he’s a teacher, a husband, and a father to two kids. He will always fight for Montana families, no matter what.

Occupation

• Program Manager for One Montana (onemontana.org)
• Representative, Montana House District 63.

Goals:

• Education:
  Advocate for investing in public education. supporting higher pay for teachers and professors, expanded early childhood education, and increased investment in our higher education system.
• Energy Efficiency:
  Make public facilities more energy efficient to save the public money and resources. Advocates energy conservation as smart investments that improve our public buildings and can reap returns – for taxpayers, fiscal conservatives, and conservationists alike.
• Health Care/Insure Montana: Supports efforts to revise and continue the “Insure Montana” program, which provides incentives for small businesses to continue to offer health insurance to their employees.
• Health Care/Medicaid Expansion: Promote equal access to health care and preventative services for everyone including low income families. Expand Medicaid in Montana to provide health insurance to folks living far below the poverty line, struggling to make ends meet.
• Health Care/Military Discount: Supports proposed legislation that would allow property and casualty insurance companies to offer consumers discounts based on military or veteran status, similar to “good driver” discounts.
• Public Access and Outdoor Recreation:
  Advocate for every Montanan’s constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment,” and I will fight for sportsmen and women’s ability to access public lands.
  Opposed to the Republican-led proposal to transfer federal public to state ownership. “Our state and federal agencies have a cooperative management relationship that spans decades or hard work and collaboration. This underhanded proposal is not about “better management” as transfer proponents will have you believe; it’s about opening up our public lands to extensive leasing to resource extraction corporations from out-of-state. I will not stand for it.”
• Small Business
  Promote a clean, fair, and competitive tax code in support of small businesses and the jobs they create.
• Women’s Rights
  “EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK”
  Supports wage equality in support of Governor Bullock’s “Equal Pay for Equal Work” task force initiative.
  
  SUPPORTING WOMEN’S RIGHT TO PRIVACY AND HEALTH CARE
  Advocate for women’s health, and access to family planning services crucial to the health of women and their families. Protection for a woman’s right to privacy and health care. Believe that women’s health care decisions should not be legislated.

Qualifications

Personal:

Truman Albright Fellow., Washington, DC. Research, trade policy for the U.S. Trade Representative, U.S. immigration policy for the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, Associate for MT Senator Max Baucus.

Legislative:

Montana legislative committee assignments: Taxation, Natural Resources, Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and the Water Policy Interim Committee. Appointed me to the Private Lands Public Wildlife Council, 2016, 2018. Vice-Chair of the Water Policy Interim Committee, Vice Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, and Co-Chair of the MT Legislative Sportsman’s Caucus.

Candidate Statement

“Montana will always be my home – I love this place deeply and believe in the future of our community and state.

“I would be honored to have your support as I seek my third term serving Montana’s House District 63. As one of Montana’s youngest legislators, I strive to be an effective policy maker who works within my own team and across the aisle to push my district’s issues forward and achieve results. I work hard every day to serve ALL of my constituents with integrity and treat all of my colleagues in the legislature with respect.

“I believe that the results speak for themselves: in two terms, I have been able to pass 11 separate bills into law. These reforms have dealt with issues ranging from insurance company regulation, to watershed protection, criminal justice reform, energy efficiency, and beyond. And in a few cases, I am equally proud of my legislation proposals that have failed, such as those dealing with opioid prescription abuse and student debt reforms.

“On this foundation, I am ready to continue my service to the people in my district and across Montana.”

Denise currently serves as the representative for House District 66.