State Legislature 2022: James Reavis

I am running for office because I am very concerned about the fiscal and moral direction our Legislature is taking the Treasure State. We need a positive economic agenda that fosters small business growth, but our last legislative session was distracted by judicial e-mails and culture war posturing. We need legislators that listen to the voters and address our community needs for fair-priced housing and public safety.

I own a small business with my business partner. We sell written products to the tabletop gaming community, primarily online. We decided to incorporate in Montana because our state had friendly laws that made it easy to start a business. Nonetheless, we need to stay vigilant on burdensome regulations, especially for startups that have not yet had a chance to turn a profit.

I am a public defender. I have worked to protect Montana’s unique constitutional rights for the last decade. I have seen the best and worst of our systems of criminal justice, foster care, juvenile services, and mental health commitments. I will use that knowledge to build a more fair and equitable system for all.

I have also been involved in the last three legislative sessions, testifying before committees and helping draft bills behind the scenes. I can understand the legal language proposed by lobbyists. I will use my experience to help other legislators draft stronger bills. My small business background, my work in the legal field, and my prior political experience will allow me to serve the people of Billings as an effective legislator.

My top priorities are: 1.) Addressing the high cost of housing and rising property taxes; 2.) Funding and reforming our public safety programs; and 3.) Removing lead pipes from our schools.

Rising property taxes is the most common concern I hear about from voters. Many people in the district live on fixed incomes and are in danger of being priced out of their homes because of property tax payments. Renters (like myself) also suffer from this problem because property taxes are passed on to tenants. I’ll support policies that will impact rising property taxes: First, comprehensive housing reform to increase the housing supply to lower prices and meet demand. Second, granting local governments more authority to raise revenue from measures besides property taxes. Third, fixing the funding formula for education so schools are not dependent on mill levies for essential services.

As a public defender, I understand that feeling safe from crime is a baseline requirement to living a full life. I also understand we need comprehensive solutions to address crime. In the short-term, we can fund Department of Corrections programs that promote cognitive behavioral therapy and detective training to give police more tools to proactively solve cases. In the long-term, we must make major reforms to our mental health commitments, juvenile justice, and foster care. I have worked with clients in all three of these areas and I’ll bring unique expertise to crafting positive policies.

Positive tests for lead have cropped up all around the state, including right here in Billings. No amount of lead is safe for our children’s developing brains. We have the federal funding to replace the fixtures and pipes in our lead-positive schools. I will sponsor legislation to put that federal funding to work.

I agree with this statement. Democracy has the strongest impact at the local level. It’s about impossible to get ahold of my federal representative, but I’ve had a beer with my state representative and one-on-one meetings with members of city council. Local governments do listen and do respond more quickly to local needs. Federalism is an important component of our American system of government, and each level has an important role, often with overlapping funding and administrative responsibilities. But it is our local government that gets the snow plowed, maintains the sewage lines, and keeps the water treatment plan operating. Our state government, while very important, must return more power back to local governments.

My primary idea for returning control and authority to local governments is to support legislation that grants local governments more control over the revenues they generate in their jurisdictions. When someone comes to Billings and stays in a Billings motel, drinks at a Billings bar, eats at a Billings restaurant, spends time at a Billings casino, or purchases marijuana from a Billings dispensary, more of that revenue should remain with the county and the city, not the state government. Cities and counties need more sources of revenue besides property taxes, which are too high and are pricing out people on fixed incomes from their homes. Local governments should also be given more flexibility in how they are allowed to spend taxpayer dollars, so they can better respond to local needs.

I am a public defender with a decade of experience representing clients facing incarceration, termination of their parental rights, or commitment to the state hospital. I specialized in involuntary commitment cases and am an expert on the subject. I can use my experience to bring positive and long-lasting change to our public safety.

After Montana State Hospital lost its federal funding for failing to comply with basic health and safety requirements, I called for substantial changes to our mental health treatment laws. Rather than relying completely on Warm Springs, patients need to be treated at state-run (or state-contracted) local mental health hospitals. These “community hospitals” would deliver needed treatment, keep patients closer to home, and connect them to local resources. A rebuilt Montana State Hospital would serve as a last resort. These reforms will require substantial revenue but will save money in the long run by reducing criminal incarceration costs. If we do not treat the mentally ill in the health care system, we increase the risk they enter our criminal justice system instead.

We need to fund more forensic psychologists to speed up the mental health evaluation process, a major contributor to clogged court dockets. We also need to reconsider use of the criminal justice system against long-term, severely mentally ill individuals. We can provide secure, accountable treatment outside of the prison setting that is geared toward rehabilitation and eventual reentry into society once the mental illness can be safely managed. All these measures will reduce recidivism.

We can also bring positive reforms to the Department of Corrections, such as providing more funding for probation officers. I can use my experience to pass more technical laws, such as: Improving implementation of the incentives and interventions grid, codifying probation conditions, and fixing the probation code to better regulate misdemeanor probation.

I support clean energy from all available sources, including solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and safe nuclear energy. Fossil fuels, including the vast resources available in eastern Montana, provide important baseload capacity and will remain an important component of our energy diet. Nonetheless, our state and our country are transitioning to energy sources that support clean water and clean air. During this transition, we cannot neglect our miners and factory workers. We must provide job security and retraining support. New energy production facilities should be built where our trained workers already reside.

The Montana Legislature can support this change to a cleaner energy future by supporting a power plan that lays out clear ground rules for the Public Service Commission. For example, it should be as easy as possible to buy a solar panel for your home and connect it to the existing power grid. We can also be a leader in supporting nuclear technologies without neglecting important safety considerations. Finally, we should spend the federal dollars already allocated to our state to build charging stations that will support a cleaner, electric car future.

Tourism is an integral part of Montana’s economy, with nonresidents injecting $5.15 billion into the state from the last year alone, according to the U of M Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research. I support an allocation of accommodation (or lodging) tax to promote tourism in local areas and would vote against decreasing that percentage from current levels.

I support returning more of the dollars primarily generated by tourists back to the communities. For example, if you stay in a Billings hotel, a large portion of the lodging tax generated from that stay should be allocated to Yellowstone County and the City of Billings. This builds revenue streams separate from a sole reliance on property taxes. Right now, the lodging sales tax sends 75% of revenues generated from that tax into the state general fund. That needs to change, because it is the city/county that provided the most resources to make the hotel stay possible.

On the specific question of local tourism promotion, I would support expanding funding to the extent that dollars spent would result in more tourists coming to Montana and spending more. About 63% of the current lodging facility use tax is already devoted to statewide tourism promotion, according to the Department of Revenue. There is a proper balance to be struck between statewide and local tourism promotion. I would vote for increasing funding for local tourism promotion if provided with adequate data that showed such a change would result in a net gain of revenue for everyone involved.

I do agree that major reforms to our property tax code are needed. Primary residences and commercial rental properties who were here before the pandemic should not be bearing the brunt of the pain from skyrocketing real estate valuations for reasons completely beyond their control. One reform I would support is an expansion of PTAP (Property Taxpayer Assistance Program) to cover a wider and more diverse range of incomes for both residences and commercial property rentals. I would also support a property tax “circuit breaker” policy, which provides refundable tax credits through the income tax code for payment of high property taxes.

I support a local option authority and would intend on sponsoring such a bill if elected. According to the Department of Revenue, 96% of the taxes raised by local governments are through property taxes. Cities and counties need more options for revenue besides property taxes. I would support authorizing local governments to impose modest taxes on marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes, and casinos. While I am opposed to a general sales tax, I would support revenue generators targeted at tourists and resorts. I would also support giving local governments more flexibility to impose an excise tax that meets the community’s particular needs. Any of these additional taxes would of course be first subject to approval by the voters. Revenue raised from local option authority would also help ease property tax burdens.

There is a lot we can do at the state level to streamline our housing policy to empower local governments to increase the housing supply and lower the price of housing as a result.

First, we can enact wide-ranging zoning reform. Let’s reduce or eliminate minimal lot area requirements. We can support the building of duplexes, triplexes, and accessory dwelling units and move away from mandated single-family housing. We can repeal parking mandates and reconsider building height limits to support denser housing. Many small businesses, including my own, are being run out of the home. We should have a zoning code that supports more home-based businesses.

Second, we can simplify the housing permitting process. Getting a permit to build a housing development should be easier than getting a permit to operate a factory. Let’s reduce the number of agencies needed to give their stamp of approval before a house can be built. This includes zoning boards. Zoning boards are still important, but we need wider, more encompassing zoning plans that will mean fewer appearances before the zoning board, where new developments or housing remodels can get bogged down.

Third, we need to empower local governments to explore creative housing solutions. One exciting development on this front is community land trusts, where the city owns the land but the resident owns the house. This arrangement allows the resident to enjoy the benefits of homeownership while also helping the community keep their housing prices reasonable.