State Legislature 2024: HD48-Anne Ross (D) - Billings Chamber of Commerce

What are your three most important policy priorities? What do you hope the impact of implementing these policies will be?

My three most important values as a candidate are protecting worker’s rights and the needs of working families such as access to affordable healthcare, childcare and housing; restoring our tax system to one that favors working families and the less affluent over the ultra-rich and our largest corporations; and protecting our public assets like public lands and the public education system which benefit all Montanans and provides for a better future for all of us. When most of us do well, we build a thriving economy that is good for business and good for the happiness of our Montana citizens.

In a recent survey of our members, an overwhelming portion of respondents (96%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “Reducing the cost of doing business in Montana generally benefits all Montanans.” What do you hope the Legislature will do to reduce the cost of doing business in Montana?

I hope the legislature will focus on helping reduce the cost of doing business for small family businesses over the largest corporations. We need to consider that when the largest corporations don’t pay their fair share in taxes the workers can’t afford to live in our communities where they are needed to contribute to the success of our businesses. When there are limited workers it is difficult for smaller businesses to offer competitive compensation packages so we need to offer assistance to allow for new growth in up-and- coming entities in the business sector. Businesses do better as a whole when there is a healthy pool of competition. When we have monopolies forming because of unnecessary handouts to the wealthiest corporations, the quality of goods, services and standards of living all diminish.

In our recent survey, public safety was identified as the number one policy issue for our members. During the 2023 Session, important bills to update the antiquated Youth Court Act and revise theft laws both narrowly failed. We expect those and other safety bills to come up during the 2025 Session. What legislative changes would you suggest to address safety issues in Billings and around the state?

I support programs that will proactively engage youth to turn them away from the poor choices that lead up to criminal activity and for more accountability for violent crime perpetrators. We need to support our first responders, mental healthcare practitioners and other essential key players in our crisis response and law and justice system. We should allow the experts in the field to guide our legislative practices so that we can positively impact the public safety of our communities, big or small.

Last session, the Montana Legislature passed numerous bipartisan housing bills, reforming onerous regulations that restrict housing supply and appropriating an historic amount of funding for housing. Considering how much was accomplished, it was dubbed the “Montana Miracle.” However, the work is not done, and more recommendations are coming forward from the Governor’s Housing Task Force. Which recommendations to add housing supply and make housing more affordable will you consider supporting?

I would support making the addition of dwelling units a less costly and time-consuming process for homeowners and small business developers who own properties with R-1 and other low-density zoning. Many homeowners would love to support the housing needs of other families and workers while also earning an income to help pay their mortgages. Oftentimes smaller zoning regulation changes and permits are costly, time-consuming and difficult to obtain which blocks the road for Montanans who aren’t already in the lucrative housing development business sector. When we increase housing supply, we slow the growth of rental rates, which is essential for workers who have been unable to break into home ownership. Another issue for Montanans is the fact that the Republican super-majority and our Republican governor have stood idly by and even blocked efforts by Democrats in the legislature to prevent the historic property tax hike that Montanans are currently suffering through. Who we choose for our leadership has a profound impact on the life of everyday Montanans and I believe it is time to bring our state back to a more balanced political landscape where the two sides can work together as neighbors for the common good and not just the elite few. I speak more on this in the question regarding property taxes.

Over the last two sessions, the Montana Legislature took significant steps to reduce the business equipment tax, relieving 502 Yellowstone County businesses from the burden of paying this tax. Would you be supportive of further reductions, allowing even more businesses to keep more of their hard-earned dollars?

I would be supportive of small business owners receiving relief, but the massive tax reductions for our largest corporations in Montana is unfortunately a big part of what has caused so much of the economic strain on families, our public education system and our essential workforce. We need to be more responsible with our government handouts to big corporations (who honestly don’t need the money), and make sure that we are being balanced and equitable in our promotion of all business in Montana.

Reauthorizing Medicaid Expansion will be a major topic of debate in the upcoming session. Originally passed in 2015, the program provides significant benefits to Yellowstone County, creating over 1,500 jobs and providing healthcare coverage to approximately 10% of our local workforce. Are you supportive of reauthorization? With changes? Not at all?

I absolutely support reauthorizing the Medicaid expansion (which will sunset in early 2025 without action being taken) and also expanding the coverage further to help workers that fall in the gap between being able to afford paying for their own healthcare on the marketplace vs. being low-income enough to qualify for Medicaid. We want to encourage the upward mobility of workers by helping with the expenses of preventative care that allow them to be more productive contributors to our society as a whole. Furthermore, Medicaid is funded primarily by our federal tax dollars that we pay out every pay period. It is essential that we bring that money back to Montana to support our healthcare jobs market and the health of our residents as well.

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is consistently a topic at the Legislature, with supporters arguing it is one of the only economic development tools available to local communities in Montana, while some opponents contend it should be eliminated. The Billings Chamber has long been a strong supporter but acknowledges there could be room for improvement. What are your thoughts on TIF?

I am raising my children in a neighborhood that has benefited from its designation as an urban renewal district. Our nearby Optimist Park has a really great playground and there have recently been sidewalks put in for our kids to be able to safely walk to school along the very busy street of King Avenue East and a railing was also installed to prevent slipping into the ditch that is adjacent to the street. TIF is an essential tool in increasing the future taxable values in a community by offering temporary assistance in building up public safety infrastructure and community spaces in a targeted area. It makes sense when big businesses and other projects come into a community of limited means that some improvements be made in the heart of the area where the increased traffic has an impact. Neighborhoods not only are perceived to be safer but become safer when we update our parks and infrastructure. This type of hyper-local investment has big returns for the community and also for businesses that operate in the area.

Considering the concern over recent property tax increases, the Governor established a Property Tax Task Force to offer recommendations for dealing with increasing property taxes. Which of the 12 recommendations, or other solutions, would you support to address property tax concerns?

I don’t believe it was necessary to spend the public’s hard-earned money on a task force as we have always been able to manage this issue with legislation and it really is not a mystery as to why residential property taxes are much higher than they should be when compared to commercial and industrial property taxes. It is the unfortunate reality that our Republican super-majority in the legislature and our Republican governor chose to ignore and not address the historically simple task of adjusting the multipliers for the property tax assessment of residential homes. It has been the bipartisan practice of legislatures periodically since the drafting of the 1972 constitution to pass bills to adjust the property tax rates on homes to prevent an undue tax burden on families and workers, as is spelled out in the constitution. Many people raised the alarms on the impending property tax hike and Democratic attempts at mitigating this problem in the legislature were blocked. Now we are dealing with elderly homeowners facing homelessness due to their limited incomes, rent spikes and other negative economic impacts of people being strained financially while the ultra-rich and large corporations have enjoyed unnecessary tax breaks, including our Governor himself. I will gladly support any measures that balance our tax system in a way that large industrial and commercial properties are more fairly assessed for value when compared to residential properties. Residential properties are currently assessed based on their market value, which has been increasing all over Montana recently, whereas commercial and industrial properties are valued on a much lower scale, and can be negotiated behind closed doors, away from the public’s scrutiny.