Road kill? A deer is a freezer full of meat
In a way, it’s somewhat surprising that Montana doesn’t already have a law that would allow certain road-kill game animals to be salvaged for food, but Rep. Steve Lavin aims to change that.
Lavin, a Montana Highway Patrol officer for more than 20 years, is having great success in advancing a bill that would allow law enforcement to issue permits for road-killed deer, elk, moose or antelope to be salvaged. The bill cleared a House Committee on a 19-2 vote and the full House by a 95-3 vote because it simply makes sense.
Drivers are constantly hitting animals in Montana, and frequently the animals are only injured but they must be put down by responding law-enforcement officers. In many cases, the meat on these animals is perfectly fine, but they cannot be salvaged under current state law.
The animals must be left to rot on roadsides, and that is a waste of valuable resources, particularly when game meat would truly provide a benefit to some Montana families. As off-putting as a road-kill bill might sound to some people, it deserves the support it is getting and should be signed into law.
A feel-good bill that doesn’t really make sense
Another bill that is making its way through the House of Representatives is a sentimental favorite, but lawmakers should look hard and long before they approve House Bill 49, exempting military pensions and survivor benefits from the state income tax.
Yes, our service men and women deserve our undying gratitude, but that does not mean they should operate under different rules than the rest of us regarding our mutual obligations to help support the infrastructure of government on which we all depend.
Remember, the pensions are already a significant note of appreciation and thanks from the taxpayers to our former soldiers, sailors and Marines. It is also reasonable to provide employment opportunities to veterans, but is there really any reason to exempt generous military pensions from the income tax?
Probably not. That’s why only 16 states have done so.
Montana already has an exemption for disability retired pay which covers our wounded warriors. That’s an understandable acknowledgment of the price they’ve already paid, but able-bodied retirees can and should continue to be taxed like everyone else.
The House taxation committee has already approved HB 49, as has the full House, but the bill has now been sent to the Appropriations Committee, where hopefully the cost of the exemption is going to be weighed carefully.
Montana estimates that approximately 100,000 veterans live in the state. If their benefits were exempted from the state income tax, it would cost other taxpayers approximately $12.5 million in 2014.
Considering the state of the economy, that’s just not reasonable.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Daily Inter Lake’s editorial board.