Author: forwardmontana

Oh hey.

I love getting to kick off WTH with good news. I spend 70 percent of this newsletter yelling about how we all need to call our legislators and 20 percent talking shit about bad legislation — but that leaves 10 percent for celebrating. So that’s what we’re doing first.

Subscribe to What the Helena here. 

 

Good News Crew

A bill to establish Indigenous People’s Day in place of Columbus Day passed the House this week! Hell yeah. I’m ready to drop kick Columbus into the past where he belongs. The House tried to kill Columbus Day last session and it died in a Senate committee, but that year the proposed new holiday was Montana Heritage Day. This is better.

For those of out there that think that Columbus Day celebrates the quaint town that serves as a gateway to the Beartooths (*ahem* Rep. Mandeville), you’re wrong. Columbus Day celebrates the dude who committed genocide against indigenous people across the Americas. He’s terrible. Columbus, MT is not. Also, notable that Columbus, MT is on the historical land of the Apsáalooke peoples, as Rep. Stewart Peregoy pointed out on the House floor.

Also, the 6 Mill Levy permanency bill passed in the Senate! This bill would make the 6 Mill funding for the Montana University System permanent, instead of expiring every ten years. Montanans have approved this funding for seventy years, and it’s time for advocates and students to focus their energies on improving Montana, instead of campaigning every decade for the same funding.

These are definitely victories, but we’ve still got a long road ahead for both bills. I’ll let y’all know as soon as I have info about next steps to keep these bills going! Find out how your legislators voted on 6 Mill Permanency and Indigenous People’s Day, and if your legislator voted in favor of either of these, drop them a note to say thanks!

On the Salty Side

Oh, did you think I’d gone all warm and fuzzy on you? THINK AGAIN.

I am UPSET about HB 380, which would have penalized bad landlords for wrongfully withholding security deposits, being tabled in committee (Check out the cool instagram story that Rep. Emma Kerr-Carpenter made about it.)  The legislature is stacked with landlords who are acting and voting in their own business interests, and I have had it up to here.

Also, remember last week when I talked about Sen. Roger Webb’s terrible bill that would allow landlords to send their tenants’ debt to collection agencies without a court judgement? It was tabled in committee at the time, but like the goddamn undead, it’s back. SB 184 passed out of committee and will be heard on the Senate floor. Call your senators and tell them to vote no! (406)444-4800!

This Week in Medicaid Rants: Hittin’ Ya with the Sweet Sweet Data

A new study from George Washington University shows that the work requirements proposed in a draft of Sen. Ed Buttrey’s Medicaid expansion bill, MeRIA, will cause around a third of Montana Medicaid participants to lose their health coverage.

You didn’t have to be Raven Baxter to see this coming.

“In total around 31,000 to 43,000 Montanans would lose coverage.” Leighton Ku of GWU told MTPR about Buttrey’s bill. “Most of that is due to the work requirements.”

Among those most likely to be kicked off the program? Parents of young children, those with a dependent with a disability, students, and people in rural areas. Basically, the same people that Medicaid expansion is designed to help!

Ku also went into how the draft of Buttrey’s bill is actually stricter than work requirements implemented in places like Arkansas. Other policies have exempted parents with children of all ages and all pregnant women — but the MeRIA draft only exempts parents of children under seven and pregnant women who can prove that meeting requirements would pose a risk to their pregnancy.

The full study is fascinating and also scary. You should read it if you’re invested in the health of Montana. The bill isn’t formally introduced yet, but you’d better believe we’re gonna come out swinging when it is. In the meantime, support HB 425, which would continue Medicaid Expansion without work requirements and is up for a hearing in mid-March.

Villain of the Week

Speaking of politicians ignoring research and data…

Everyone please take a moment to center yourself before reading the following paragraph.

Rep. Joe Read has a bill that would enshrine climate change denial into state law. The bill denies the existence of climate change and claims that leading climate scientists don’t understand physics. It calls for teaching climate change denial in public schools and discourages any future action on climate in Montana.

WHAT THE ACTUAL HELENA, JOE READ!

Read also had a bill in 2011 that declared that global warming was a natural occurrence and “beneficial to the welfare and business climate of Montana.” There’s a hearing for his current climate denial bill, HB 418, on Monday.

Villain of the Week — Part Deux

Oooof. What Joe Read said was bad, but at least it wasn’t suuuper racist. Yes, folks, that’s right we’ve got another contender for Villain of the Week: Rep. Greg Devries. On Thursday, the floor got pretty heated around Rep. Devries bill that would amend the Montana constitution to define personhood as starting at conception (HB302). Devries decided it was appropriate to address the Montana Indian Caucus directly on the subject saying “Abortion is a plague on Indian culture and a genocide against your own children. One cannot value and celebrate a culture if that culture is murdering a future generation.”  

WHAT THE ACTUAL HELENA, GREG DEVRIES. 

Rep. Devries apologized today after the Montana Indian Caucus called him out — the literal least he could do. The reality is that reparations need to be paid to our indigenous friends and neighbors for racist and oppressive bullshit that they’ve endured and continue to endure. Consider making a donation to a native-led organization today. We particularly love the work of our friends at Western Native Voice.

 

That’s all for now. I promise I’ll keep mentioning the good news, even if it doesn’t seem like a lot sometimes.

See you next Sunday.

 

 

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Margaret Grayson is Forward Montana’s Legislative Communications Fellow. A recent graduate of University of Montana, Margaret spent three years with the Montana Kaimin as a reporter and editor and interned at the Missoula Independent (RIP). Now she writes jokes for the internet and works to educate young folks about the legislative session.

If this week’s newsletter had a theme, we’d be calling it Money Week. Yes, we talk about money a lot here and in the Capitol, but this week is special because we are talking! about! taxes! There has maybe never been anyone as hyped to write about revenue streams as I am right now, but that’s because of the never-ending supply of money-related gifs available to me.

Subscribe to What the Helena here. 

 

Tax Season

No, not that tax season. (Actually, yes, also that tax season. But I’m not here to remind you to do your taxes, I’m not your mom.) This is leg session tax season, meaning legislators have started to debate the best ways to bring in revenue to our somewhat cash-strapped state. There’s already one very bad proposal out there to eliminate property tax altogether and instead implement a state-wide sales tax of 2.5 percent.

A quick lesson: some taxes are progressive, meaning the amount of a person’s income or wealth taken for taxes increases the more income or wealth that person has. But some taxes are regressive, meaning that tax takes a larger portion of a person’s income or wealth the less they have. (There are also flat taxes, which affect everyone equally.)

A sales tax is a regressive tax. “Why?” You may ask. “Doesn’t a sales tax inherently tax everyone the same amount?” Yes, but a 2.5 percent tax on a pack of toilet paper or a winter coat is a larger portion of a poor person’s budget than a rich person’s. It hits the lowest-income folks the hardest, because there’s not really an option in our society where you can just stop buying toilet paper. (Well, I guess you could at your own sanitation risk.)

Our friends at Montana Budget and Policy Center study all this complicated stuff for a living and are a million times smarter than me about it. You can read their detailed report on how a sales tax would hurt Montanans here.

They also have a lot of proposals for ways to bring money into Montana’s government without hurting rural and low-income Montanans, like closing corporate tax loopholes and restoring the top tax rate on the wealthiest one percent of people in the state.

The Flip Side of the Coin

Last year, Montana’s revenue fell short of predictions, and this caused some pretty massive cuts to essential government services in a special legislative session. Some of those cuts were later restored, but it was still gnarly. The government needs money to run, but the very first challenge in budgeting comes from predicting how much money the state will actually bring in in the next two years. The Governor’s office and the Legislative Fiscal Branch came up with different predictions this year.

Basically, if we want the state to stop cutting services, we need more tax revenue. But we need those taxes to be focused on out-of-state corporations and the top percentage of income-earners, not low-income folks. Conservatives generally disagree with this strategy, so it probably surprises nobody that the House passed a bill that will make it harder for the legislature to pass new taxes in the future by raising the vote threshold to a ⅔ majority. This bill will be heard in the Senate Taxation Committee on Feb. 14, so you have plenty of time to send a message to the committee that a government needs the ability to raise revenue to fund the essential services Montanans need every day. You can call the Capitol switchboard at (406)444-4800 and leave a message for all the committee members.

Do It for the Children

NOW we get to talk about spending money, which everybody knows is much more fun than trying to make it. Governor Bullock has proposed $22 million for public preschools and another $8 million to continue the STARS grant program, which funds Head Start and other programs. HB 225, currently in the House Education Committee, would make this funding a reality. Republicans will have their own, much more school choice-y version of preschool funding later on in the session, but HB 225 would empower the schools that already serve our communities and have accountability systems in place to offer preschool. If this is important to you, the House Education Committee are the folks to contact.

Landlords and Tenants

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, ⅓ of Montana households are renters. And if you’ve ever been a renter, you know how easy it is to get screwed over by your landlord on security deposits — especially if you’re a first-time renter, like many students, and don’t know to document damage to the home when you move in.

Rep. Emma Kerr-Carpenter introduced a bill that will require landlords who are found in court to have wrongfully withheld a security deposit to pay back double the amount of the deposit to the tenant. Without this requirement, landlords don’t have a lot to disincentivize them from withholding security deposits, because even if they’re found to be doing it illegally, the worst-case scenario is that they have to give the money back. Even though it often doesn’t feel like it, the security deposit is money that belongs to the renter, and landlords have to prove if the renter doesn’t deserve to get it back.

HB 380 had its first hearing on Friday (check out our Instagram story from Rep. Kerr-Carpenter from the hearing!) Contact the House Judiciary Committee and tell them tenant’s rights are Montanans’ rights.

Villain of the Week

All this talk about rentals leads us to my favorite segment (alternative title: Who’s Trying to Screw You Over?). This week we’ve got Sen. Roger Webb from Billings in the spotlight. Sen. Webb had a bill, SB 184, that would allow landlords to send a tenant’s debt to a collection agency — therefore wrecking their credit and potentially their life — even if the landlord hasn’t proven to a judge that the debt is owed. Not awesome. Luckily, the bill was tabled in committee.

So who is this Webb fellow who has an interest in rental law? I’m so glad you asked. HE’S A LANDLORD. Last session he and Rep. Peggy Webb “collectively carried 15 bills to modify tenant-landlord laws or other state provisions that would have affected their business,” according to this Lee state bureau story on conflicts of interest from 2017.

It boggles the mind that a senator is allowed to continually bring bills that would harm tenants and benefit his own business interests.

Add It to Your Calendar

Feb. 11 — ACLU of Montana Lobby Day
Feb. 12 — We <3 Higher Ed Student Lobby Day
Feb. 14 — Equality in Montana Lobby Day & Teach In

A Few Quick Updates

SB 152, which we talked about last week and would repeal the sunset on the 6-Mill Levy for higher ed funding, passed out of committee on a 8-4 vote! It should hit the Senate floor soon, so it’s a great time to call your senator and show support.

Last week I wasn’t totally clear on the status of Rep. Ed Buttrey’s bill to take Medicaid coverage away from people who don’t meet work requirements — the bill is still in draft form, and we’ll let you know as soon as the bill is introduced.

See you next Sunday!

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Margaret Grayson is Forward Montana’s Legislative Communications Fellow. A recent graduate of University of Montana, Margaret spent three years with the Montana Kaimin as a reporter and editor and interned at the Missoula Independent (RIP). Now she writes jokes for the internet and works to educate young folks about the legislative session.

Hey friends.

I finally made it up to the Helena this week — and let me tell you, that place is popping. The session is in its prime and you should definitely find some time to jump in the figurative deep end. Honestly, the capitol building can be kind of intimidating — at least for me. Just like jumping in the deep end of a pool, it helps to have some kind of flotation device. Consider the citizen lobby days listed below your life jacket. Also, remember that Montana is one of just four states that has a true citizen legislature, meaning that your legislators are just regular folks — they just happen to be wearing suits and walking really fast.

Feb. 6 — Conservation Community Lobby Day Feb. 8 — Women’s Policy Leadership Institute Feb. 11 — ACLU of Montana Lobby Day Feb. 12 — We <3 Higher Ed Student Lobby Day Feb. 14 — Equality in Montana Lobby Day & Teach In

Subscribe to What the Helena here. 

Sometimes We All Get Tired of Sunsets

This week, FMT staffers testified on behalf of SB 152, which would make the 6-Mill Levy that we all voted on in November permanent. Right now the levy has to be re-approved by Montana voters every ten years, and while Montanans have voted to keep it for the past seventy years — yes, you read seventy right — the costs of passing the 6-Mill Levy via ballot measure keep going up. Plus, students, many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet, have to deal with the anxiety of the 6-Mill Levy not passing and their tuition increasing by 20 percent. Affording college is already stressful enough (I should know, I just graduated in May). Let’s get rid of this sunset and just make it regular old funding, eh!

Pipelines

The Keystone XL pipeline is on the move  again, but there’s a couple bills that would help stop Eastern Montana from becoming a giant puddle of oil after leaks. SB 97 would require that the environmental impact reports for pipeline applications include how the pipeline would impact cultural sites, which could give indigenous communities a stronger argument in protecting their land from pipelines. HB 271 would require that pipelines not be built near places like wilderness areas and cultural sites. Both bills would require the installation of shut-off valves to protect from leaks or pipeline bursts.

We know that the fossil fuel execs are going to go ham on the whole “creating jobs” thing here, so it’s pretty important that you hit up the House and Senate Natural Resources Committees to remind them that short term jobs in exchange for longterm damange isn’t greeeeaaaattttt.

MeRIA… A Bad Bill Not an STD

Any time a legislator starts talking about “integrity”, you know it’s gonna be bad. We finally get to learn the details of Sen. Ed Buttrey’s Medicaid Reform and Integrity Act, extremely creepily nicknamed “MeRIA,” and it’s pretty much exactly what we expected.

Buttrey wants to require Medicaid participants to log 80 hours a month of “community engagement” time. Requirements like these have the unintended consequence of taking away coverage from people who meet them because of all the extra paperwork and red tape. People could end up losing coverage for all sorts of reasons — if their kid gets sick and they can’t work, or if they’re sent home early from their job waiting tables, or if they don’t have access to reliable internet to report their hours. And losing health coverage can make it waaaay harder to find work.

There’s no proof that strict requirements for earning health coverage increases long-term employment. There’s actually evidence that Medicaid expansion increases workforce participation among low-income Montanans, probably through the voluntary job assistance that’s offered along with the health coverage.

But, who needs proof, right? Decision makers should definitely treat Medicaid expansion the same way they treat things like Climate Change and teen pregnancy. That’s worked out really well for us.

Voting Rights 101

Two bills to watch regarding voting this session:

SB 149 would make the Secretary of State’s office responsible for return postage on ballots. There’s plenty of research that shows that paying postage on a ballot can be a significant barrier for young and low-income people in voting. If you’re old enough to remember a time without email, you may be scoffing at the idea of buying a stamp as a barrier, but let’s remember that in a free and fair election there shouldn’t be any fees associated with voting — even the 50 cent fee of a stamp.

SB 181 would require parole and probation officers to tell probationers and parolees that they’re legally allowed to vote. Yes, you read that right — even though people released from prison in Montana have the right to vote, we have to make a law requiring officers to inform them. At FMT we come across people all the time who think they can’t vote because of a previous felony! There’s a hearing on this one on February 5, and REMEMBER any attempts to quash this bill are blatant voter suppression. Thank you, and goodnight.

In Case You Missed It

This op-ed from members of Montana’s Indian Caucus lays out why the prevalence of missing and murdered indigenous women is a statewide crisis, and reminds us of the bills to support so Montana can see change. You can also check out these badass photos and videos from Native Days of Action this past week.

That’s all for this week. See you next Sunday!

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Margaret Grayson is Forward Montana’s Legislative Communications Fellow. A recent graduate of University of Montana, Margaret spent three years with the Montana Kaimin as a reporter and editor and interned at the Missoula Independent (RIP). Now she writes jokes for the internet and works to educate young folks about the legislative session.

Week 3, baby.

Let’s start with some good news.

Senate Bill 143 took a brief run at ending election-day voter registration before it was tabled in committee on Wednesday, which means it’s more than likely dead. Montanans voted overwhelming in favor of Election Day Registration in 2014, but apparently we have to keep reminding some legislators that voting should be accessible and equitable. Goodbye, bad legislation. You will not be missed. And a HUGE shout-out to everyone who contacted their legislators. Your voices were heard!

Raise the Roof

A bill passed out of the House Appropriations Committee that would give all state and university employees a 50-cent-per-hour raise each year for the next two years. Public schools could also get a $78 million dollar funding boost from a bill that passed its first vote in the House 97-3.

Cue “Just Got Paid” by NSync.

More money for teachers! Bipartisan support! I want to wrap myself up in these bills like a blanket and nap until May.

Settle in for a Long Infrastructure Battle

I’m having a strange feeling of deja-vu. This is the fourth consecutive legislative session where Governor Steve Bullock has proposed a major infrastructure package, and undoubtedly it will spark just as much debate this time around as it did in the last three. In 2015 and 2017 the infrastructure bill came down to the last day of legislative session — and both times it failed. So what I’m saying is we’re in for a long one here. The obvious flash points are going to be renovating Romney Hall at MSU and a new Montana Heritage Center, which each cost a cool $32 million.

As the Montana Free Press points out in this article, there are a lot of smaller infrastructure projects, like affordable housing, that aren’t included in the bigger bill but are worth keeping an eye on because they will have a huge impact on the daily lives of Montanans. #BrokeAF

MMIW Movement

Last Saturday, around 500 people gathered at UM for a candlelight vigil in honor of missing and murdered indigenous women. Native women are far more likely to experience violence, including sexual violence, than other groups. Twenty-four Native women went missing in Montana in 2018.

HB 20 passed the Montana House requiring all legal authorities, including tribal authorities, to report missing children directly to the state’s missing child information program. Family members of missing children will also be allowed to submit missing children reports.

HB 21 is a bill in the House Judiciary Committee that would allow the Montana Department of Justice to assist in missing person cases and assign a specialist to those cases.

You can follow our friends at Western Native Voice for updates on MMIW legislation and ways to get involved.

Excuse Me, What?

Billings Representative Rod Garcia wants to spend $500 million to buy the Colstrip coal power plant to… prolong its inevitable demise? Demand for coal has plummeted, coal power is more expensive to produce than alternatives AND the Colstrip plant is already ageing out of usefulness. Imagine how far $500 million could go in investing in renewable energy sources that could create long-lasting jobs for Montanans.

School Choice Rally

You know how Goldfish crackers have been successfully branded as a healthy snack even though their nutritional content is actually equivalent to a Cheez-It? That’s how I feel about school choice. Proponents say they are all about choice and freedom and the best opportunity for every child. But in reality, offering public funding for parents to put their kids in private schools only diminishes the quality of our public schools. Investing more in public schools is better for all children and Goldfish crackers are a delicious lie.

Leg Lesson: Young People Making Change!

Can you believe that in 1999 there were fewer than five Montana legislators who were under the age of 35? This legislative session, there are 19 young legislators — more than six times the number there were in 1999. #YoungPeoplePower

Our generation is the most diverse in history and it’s no coincidence that with an increase in young people, there’s an increase in female legislators & indigenous legislators! This is rad for a lot of reasons, but the one we love at FMT is that our decision-making bodies are closer to reflecting our actual communities — and that means that better policies that actually address the lived experiences of Montanans will get proposed & *fingers crossed* passed.

Newsletterception

It’s a newsletter, inside a newsletter, inside another newsletter…

You probably already knew this, but I am not the only one sending out updates on the legislative session! (It is likely that I am the one doing the most swearing.)

• Planned Parenthood is keeping you posted on all bills regarding choice and healthcare.
• Montana Women Vote is all over Medicaid expansion and other key issues.
• Montana Conservation Voters will send you updates on everything conservation, from utilities and pipelines to plastic bags.
• The Montana Nonprofit Association gets into the weeds of tax codes and all legislation that will affect nonprofit organizations.
• The Ripple Rousers blog and newsletter offers in-depth explanations of how the legislature works.

I’m sure there are more. If I didn’t mention your newsletter, I promise it’s not personal. Send me a sign-up link!

If you’ve made it this far, you must like learning about legislative issues.

Did you hear we did a legislative tele-townhall with young lobbyists and activists? You can listen to it here.

 

Last but not least, live footage of me avoiding the debate about plastic straws. 

Thanks for reading. Subscribe! See you next Sunday.

 

 

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Margaret Grayson is Forward Montana’s Legislative Communications Fellow. A recent graduate of University of Montana, Margaret spent three years with the Montana Kaimin as a reporter and editor and interned at the Missoula Independent (RIP). Now she writes jokes for the internet and works to educate young folks about the legislative session.

 

 

Hi. It’s me again. We’re through week two of the legislative session. If you’re already feeling a little overwhelmed, WELCOME. This is the space for you. I have like fifteen tabs open on my computer right now. Two of them are the same news story. Three of them are just my email inbox. I think it’s time to do a little tidying up. If you haven’t seen the new Marie Kondo Netflix special then idk where you’ve been, but she’s got half the internet purging their closets. The method: Hold an object, and if it doesn’t ***spark joy*** get rid of it immediately. I firmly believe it doesn’t just apply to your DVD collection or that plastic bin full of random cords under your desk. Let’s try that shit on some LEGISLATION.

Sparking joy: Sen. Diane Sands has introduced a bill that would make it mandatory that all sexual assault kits get tested in the State Crime Lab. This may seem like a no-fucking-brainer, but a report in 2015 found 1,140 untested kits in Montana. This is a long-overdue change to help bring justice to survivors. A lot of rural communities rely on volunteer firefighters to battle blazes — but when they get hurt, there’s sometimes no money for workers compensation. A new bill would put a 5 percent tax on fireworks to fund payment for injured firefighters. The only people opposed are the fireworks companies, and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say we shouldn’t make policies based around the wishes of people who make explosives. Remember when you were a teenager and finally negotiated a later curfew? Montana’s breweries are growing facial hair, getting their driver’s licenses and are ready for an extension on their beer curfew. House Bill 185 would allow breweries to stay open until 10 p.m., giving the rest of us more time to sip our IPAs and contemplate existence. Rep. Shane Morigeau introduced House Bill 219 to abolish Columbus Day as a state holiday and recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day in its place. Missoula and Bozeman already made this change a few years ago, and I’m extremely ready to stop honoring this country’s most notorious colonizer with a holiday. Check out this video on the issue. Throw it away: It’s week two and already legislators are trying to restrict your voting rights. Sen. Mike Cuffe introduced SB 143 which would eliminate same-day voter registration, which was how over 12,000 Montanans voted in 2016. (I would provide you with 2018 stats, but the Secretary of State’s office hasn’t updated their data. I’m venturing down an email rabbit hole in search of the new numbers and will update you with anything I find down there.) If there was ever a time to CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS at (406)444-4800, it’s now. I cannot stop thinking about this story on higher education funding, where we find out that Montana invested $41 per student in need-based aid last school year, while the national average was $539! WHY ARE WE NOT INVESTING IN THE STUDENTS WHO NEED IT MOST? In 2019 we are purging ourselves of this kind of negative energy and lobbying our legislators to help make! higher! education! attainable!   Look guys, I know we talked about it last week, but I just wanna make sure everything was clear: Work requirements for Medicaid are BAD. As many Montana legislators and activists are pointing out, work requirements in Arkansas kicked over 18,000 people off Medicaid in six months. This article lays out how difficult it can be for low-income people to report their work hours. A handful of Republicans are considering implementing work requirements. Let’s not, and say we didn’t. The UM Community News Service wrote about the self-named “solutions caucus,” a group of moderate Republicans who meet frequently and are willing to compromise with Dems to pass legislation. The story included Rep. Derek Skees, R-Kalispell, saying that elected Republicans who don’t vote with the rest of the party make “a component of our service a lie to our constituents.”   Save the Dates and Such Jan. 21 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day Lobby Day with the Montana Human Rights Network Jan. 23 — Clean Power For All: Rally at the Capitol Jan. 28 — Youth Legislative Voices Round Table Feb. 6 — Montana Conservation Voters Conservation Community Lobby Day   Last But Not Least, a Little Inspiration It’s super easy to get caught up in the minute, ever-changing details of the leg session — it’s enough to give anyone the January blues. Here is my offering to help ward them off: these incredible photos from the Jan. 11 public lands rally, where over 1,500 Montanans PACKED the capitol rotunda to support keeping public lands in public hands. The energy in these pictures warms my cold heart. (FMT was there too — check out more pics of our cute staffers on Insta!)     Keep fighting the good fight, friends. Subscribe to this newsletter, if you haven’t already. See you next Sunday. Margaret Grayson is Forward Montana’s Legislative Communications Fellow. A recent graduate of University of Montana, Margaret spent three years with the Montana Kaimin as a reporter and editor and interned at the Missoula Independent (RIP). Now she writes jokes for the internet and works to educate young folks about the legislative session.