Bullock’s vetoes survive override polls

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed 24 bills during the 2013 Montana legislature, three of which were oil and gas-related bills, and all 24 vetoes survived veto polls. All members of the legislature were polled on the vetoes between May 2 and June 10. A two-thirds majority of legislators in each chamber is required to override a veto in Montana, i.e., 67 votes in the 100-member House and 34 votes in the 50-member Senate. Several bills received more than the 34 necessary veto override votes in the Senate, but no bill received the minimum number of override votes in the House.

House Bill 218 would have provided $15 million in relief to oil-impacted counties in the current fiscal year, and $10 million until 2020 from federal mineral royalties. The bill included a definition of an impact area listed the various types of projects that could have been addressed by grants funded by the bill. HB 218 was the only impact relief bill to pass the 2013 legislature. HB 218 received sufficient votes in the Senate to override the veto with 38 votes to override, but fell short in the House with only 61 of the 67 necessary votes.

Pollution control taxes

Both HB 408 and Senate Bill 240 dealt with taxes on pollution control equipment. HB 408 would have started a five-year reduction phase in the pollution control equipment tax from its current rate of 3 percent down to1 percent. SB 240 would have eliminated the tax on all pollution control equipment that went into service after Jan. 1, 2012. SB 240 received 60 override votes in the House and 33 override votes in the Senate. HB 408 also received 60 override votes in the House, and in the Senate it received 28 override votes.

The other bill that received enough override votes in the Senate was HB 12, which appropriated funds for one-time health care provider rate payments. While receiving 38 override votes in the Senate, it received only 59 in the House.

—Mike Ellerd

---

Did you find this article interesting?

Tweet it

Digg it

Print this story | Email it to an associate.

Click here to subscribe to Petroleum News for as low as $69 per year.