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Happy New Year Everyone.
Here is some information to help put into perspective what the latest revenue estimate really means. When we left the session the budget was structurally balanced but became unbalanced with the Governor’s vetoes, placing the burden of this deficit onto the next legislature. The attached information explains why the higher than expected revenue estimate does not necessarily mean there will be a large, available, surplus.

The budget passed by the 2009 legislature also became structurally

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Montana’s two college football teams, Bobcats and Griz, have advanced in the NCAA 2011 playoffs this weekend against University of New Hampshire and Central Arkansas.  The State of Montana will be in the spotlight again as when the Billings Big Sky Little League team advanced in the Little League World Series . 

Montana State Bobcats: 

 The Montana State Bobcats had a near repeat of a 1976 game (more…)

Boston, MA – Mitt Romney today announced his Montana State Finance leadership team. 

“I am proud to announce my Montana State Finance leadership team,” said Mitt Romney. “With their help, we will be able to defeat President Obama next November and get our country and economy on the right track again. Montana can be a leader in our economic recovery if we are able to utilize the state’s energy resources and encourage small business growth.” 

Mitt Romney’s State Finance Chair Mark Baker said, “It is an honor to join Governor Romney’s team in Montana. We look forward to (more…)

 For those interested in the Average Annual Real Wages Per Job, MSU has an interesting graph that you might want to take a look at comparing Montana to the rest of the United States. Here’s the link for the whole report but the graph was a little telling.  The Document has 3 volumes that give an overview of the past decade of Montana, it’s resources, wages and how the State ranks compared to the United States in general. 

Volume 1:

Volume I presents and analyzes economic data by county for Montana including income and poverty data from the (more…)

Last Tuesday September 27, I attended a public meeting at the Dawson Community College. The Department of the State is conducting meetings over a six state area to gather public comment about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The project as proposed , will be 1700 miles long and run from Canada to the Gulf Coast. It is estimated to cost $7 billion dollars. Included in the construction will be an “On-Ramp” in Baker, Montana which will allow up to (more…)

September Interim Meeting Update- By Representative Matt Rosedale

 After the regular session of the 62^nd Legislature concluded, I was selected to serve on the Education and Local Government Interim Committee. As I had stated at the time, after each meeting I would be giving a report on the business that had been conducted.

     With the housing demand in (more…)

Mitt Romney today, in one of his major speeches yet, unveiled his ideas that will spur jobs and the economic growth of America.  In his speeh, Mitt Romney framed his economic plan Tuesday as a job creator for middle-class America while charging that President Obama, days before he is to outline his own plan, “doesn’t have a clue what to do.”

Speaking at a trucking company in North Las Vegas, Nev., Romney said Obama is “not a bad guy,” but pitching stale ideas that have failed to turn around the struggling economy.

“President Obama’s strategy is a pay-phone strategy and we’re in a smartphone world,” Romney said. “What he’s doing is taking quarters and stuffing them into the pay phone … [and he] can’t figure out why it’s not working. It’s not connected anymore, Mr. President!”

Romney’s prescription for the country’s ailing economy includes (more…)

Our heroes from the Big Sky Little League, finally returned home, after winning their District and the State play-off, then taking all the marbles at the Regional in San Bernardino CA, then flying to South Williamsport to represent the Northwest Region—and all of us small town folk in flyover country—of the USA in the Little League World Series.

They won three games at the LLWS including a dramatic 1-0 extra-inning game with Huntington Beach CA. Ben Askelson hit the winning walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the 7th. Huntington Beach came back to win their 2nd game and went on to (more…)