Welcome to the website for Franke Wilmer for House 64. I'm very excited about this campaign and I would be honored to serve in the state legislature for a third term. I am out knocking doors and meeting voters in North Bozeman.  Talking with you, and having the time to listen to your thoughts, reminds me why I am committed to serving you in Helena.  With the help of several hundred generous donors and hard-working volunteers, I won election in 2006 and 2008 and am honored to have served two sessions in the Montana House of Representatives, elected by my peers in both parties in 2009 to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore 2009-2011.  Here are some highlights from the last session: 

• As the national health care crisis grew, the Governor and Democratic legislative leadership wer able to enact the Children's Health Insurance Program to cover an additional 20,000-30,000 kids in families with working parents.  We demonstrated fiscal responsibility again in 2009 by reserving a $262 million ending fund balance “cushion,” and when state revenue estimates fell, we made tough choices to balance the state budget.  We will have to do even more of that in 2011 and I know we can with Democratic leadership.  

•  In 2009 I voted against the final version of the property tax appraisal bill because it was so substantially amended in the Senate that the end result was, in my view, unfair to property owners in high-growth areas like the Gallatin Valley.  I also voted against the final versions of the regular budget bill and the federal stimulus appropriation bill for several reasons I’d like to share with you.

• First, neither provided adequate support for higher education to prevent an increase in university tuition for Montana’s students and families. Second, voting no made it easier for the Governor to use the line item veto to maintain a balanced budget in the face of what turned out to be rapidly declining revenue estimates after the legislative session adjourned in May.  Third, I opposed an earmarked corporate bailout amended into the budget bill, House Bill 2.

• Since we left in May revenue estimates did decline much further and faster than expected and the governor has used his executive authority wisely, keeping the budget balanced by cutting over $40 million in cancelled projects,renovations,travel unfilled vacancies,and saving taxpayers $600,000 by canceling the earmarked bailout of Swank Enterprises.

• On the positive side I sponsored and passed bills to strengthen the financial stability of the public employees retirement system, to allow breastfeeding mothers a deferral of jury duty, and to create Gold Star Family license plates for families who have lost a loved one in active military service.

• I also co-sponsored bills that passed and were signed into law to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse, require audio-video recording of custodial interrogations, revise school district bonding capacity, and in support of small business innovation research. 

If re-elected I will work to protect the hard-won support for public education we have achieved while also working with education constituencies to find efficiencies that can benefit schools and help us balance the budget.  As a member of the Environmental Quality Council I expect some of our work on public environmental health tracking, biomass energy development, and improved wolf management will result in legislative proposals in 2011.  I strongly support efforts to develop a “new energy economy” in Montana, but will always keep in mind the need to create good-paying jobs for Montana workers and to fulfill our constitutional commitment to environmental protection.

Paid for by Franke Wilmer for HD 64, Democrat, Ronald Tobias, Treasurer, 541 E. Mendenhall St., Bozeman, MT