State Legislature 2020: Zach Ladson

Like many, I am frustrated by the state of politics and lack of humanity shown by many politicians in our country. On a drive home from Minnesota in early March, I told my wife I wanted to do more than complain and was considering running for State Legislature. I have followed politics for several years and spend a lot of time researching all sides of issues in order to form educated opinions. That research and discussions with my family and peers led me to believe I can be a strong voice for the community.

My policy priorities include livable wages; affordable housing; equality for all in employment, housing and public services; diversifying our energy capabilities and protecting the Second Amendment right to bear arms while supporting common-sense gun laws.

There is no way to achieve a perfect balance between the two, but the Legislature must always be cognizant of the long-term impact of every decision it makes. While expanding reserves may seem responsible, to do so at the cost of early childhood education programs fails to recognize the long-term economic impact of early childhood education. I will rely on the available facts, projections by the Legislative Fiscal Division, and logic to make responsible judgments about how to allocate our limited resources.

I see the role of an elected official to be both a trustee and a delegate. I want to engage my constituents and act according to their input to the greatest extent possible. However, my experience, my conscience, and the available facts will influence my decisions as well.

My contact information is available at zachladson.com and on Facebook, and I courage voters in HD46 to reach out to me. When in Helena, I will encourage communication via email but will set up calls when desired. I will also consider virtual events to engage with my constituents if there is interest.

Bipartisan solutions and compromise are a necessary part of the legislative process, with some exceptions. I cannot compromise on human rights or equality for all, for example.

As a network engineer, I am committed to network security. I urged an organization to adopt very complex password requirements for security purposes, but many users indicated they were unable to remember such passwords and said the complexity hindered their day-to-day work. After much discussion, we agreed on a requirement that was more complex than users initially desired but less complex than I preferred.

I need more information about the nature of [removing business equipment tax, adding local option authority, and changing assessments] as well as the conclusions of the tax system studies to provide an honest and educated answer to this question. I can confidently say that I am generally in support of adding local option authority; however, if the studies conclude that local option authority would be detrimental to communities, I would likely change course. I am confident I can interpret the findings of these studies and learn from those more knowledgeable than I to better understand and analyze our tax system. Further, my decision will be guided by my constituents and my conscience.

I support reasonable liability protections for businesses, so long as those protections do not cover willful misconduct, reckless or intentional infliction of harm, and do not eliminate current or future employee protections.

I support fully funding Medicaid expansion. At this time I am not aware of any changes I would recommend, but I am willing to consider recommended changes from others.

I will search for funding cuts that have a lesser impact on local budgets wherever possible. I am also committed to avoid ing funding cuts that will negatively impact vulnerable communities.

I do not have an adequate grasp of the content of this bill to provide an educated answer to this question at this time.