House District 6

Velvet Phillipssullivan (D)

Age: Not provided

Occupation: Not provided

Family: Not provided

Background: Not provided

What property tax reform policies do you support?

“Follow the money” is a phrase I learned in journalism school. These questions can only be addressed when we look at how the current systems are truly working. From property taxes that cater to the wealthy and big corporations to income taxes that also harm the working class, we must look at how the current branches of government are squandering taxpayer dollars on frivolous lawsuits that also seem to destroy confidence in the government and only benefit the carpetbaggers that have come to Montana to plunder our resources and steal from the taxpayers.  Montanans’ basic rights have been the casualty.  A forensic accountant could tell us pretty quickly how much money the attorney general, the secretary of state, and the legislative branches of government have spent on lawsuits against newspapers just doing their jobs, against the courts because the Legislature has tried to pass unconstitutional laws. 

The next thing I would look at would be to assess how much privatization of public institutions cost the taxpayers and how much those currently in government benefit from this push to privatize, whether through the money that comes in from lobbyists or their own investment in these companies that want to get government contracts. Other questions to ask are how many other previous public functions have been usurped by private contractors and the cost/benefit ratio of such contracts. 

As far as tax reform is concerned, I think it is critical because our current system isn’t working. By understanding what’s working and what isn’t and following the money, we decide. Personally, I am interested in a flat tax for income that equalizes things. As far as property taxes are concerned, I currently think the system is weighted unequally against the average Montanan and as a result school funding is not equal in different communities. The attempts by the current party in power to gut the schools in order to privatize them is of great concern to me. First off because of the inequality in education it will bring. Also, I am very concerned about the breakdown between the separation of church and state. I was molested at 10 by a preacher and so I will never support religion in schools unless it is from a philosophical or historical perspective and treats all religions equally.

Did the 2023 legislative session do enough to address the state’s housing crunch? Are there other avenues you’re in favor of pursuing? 

The current supermajority, in my opinion, did a horrible job of addressing the housing crisis. They hamstrung local governments in seeking local answers. Because of their belief in laissez-faire capitalism, they are putting profit over the needs of people and using property rights to do it. 

 I believe in the remarkable problem-solving capacity of Montanans as a whole and all perspectives will be required to solve the problem. We will need the creative entrepreneurial mindset as well as the compassionate social conscience required to provide for people’s basic needs. This also includes mental health support, food availability and work that is compensated fairly.

Public school districts across the state are facing budget shortfalls. What role can the Legislature play in shoring up public education funding?

Schools in Montana used to be good at preparing children for their future, but many schools, because of inequitable funding and extremist influences, are dumbing down our children and through Republican policies such as No Child Left Behind and Common Core. There are hundreds of years of experience held by our teachers. They know what the children need to do to be successful. Funding for our schools must become a higher priority for the government. Once again, following the money to see where there is waste and inefficiency but giving schools the money to operate efficiently and effectively is critical, as is paying the teachers a living wage. There have been decades of demeaning public education and those who demeaned, gutted it. Public education is vital to a healthy public and healthy economy. The use of money from state lands as a contributor to public education has always bothered me. I do not like the state raping the land in order to pay for public education. “We treat women and children like we treat the land.”

How do you view the judicial branch in the state?

As far as the judiciary is concerned, I think it is critical that it remains nonpartisan. This partisanship in our state and our country will destroy it. We must remember how important it is to work together for the common good. I believe the current judiciary is the only thing that saved Montana from becoming a theocratic authoritarian state.

What other policies or issues would you like to address if elected?

It’s easy to focus on all that is wrong. However, I believe in Montana and in Montanans’ ability to solve our problems. One issue I care strongly about is the importance of the food grown in Montana winding up in the hands of Montanans. In 1950 Montana produced 70% of our own food. Now we produce 3%. Montanans are still producing a lot of food but most of it is shipped off to other parts of the country to be processed. The Legislature could incentivize and support a sustainable food system infrastructure. 

The other issue I am looking at is public banking. Current laws require most financial institutions to make the most money possible for their shareholders. Corporations no longer must serve the public good. Public banking could be the way to bring back banking institutions that serve the public good and could be used to support local housing and small businesses. 

Another issue I am very passionate about is rewriting and/or strengthening the antitrust laws in Montana. In the last couple of decades, we have seen the gobbling up of local businesses by big corporations. This has led to higher prices and lower quality services for Montanans. Some of the industries I will be looking at are medicine, paper and broadcast news, and retailers. 

Finally, the other issue on my mind is about insurance, both property and health insurance has created situations where because of catastrophic illnesses or environmental cataclysms, insurance companies are taking payments (sometimes for decades) and then not wanting to pay out. This would be something the legislative branch and the insurance commissioner could work together on to ensure that Montanans are protected.

Amy Regier (R)

Age: 46

Occupation: Registered nurse

Family: Not provided

Background: Taxpayer for more than 20 years

What property tax reform policies do you support? 

The main property tax reform I would support is using bed tax receipts to lower residential property taxes.  This would not be a shift of taxes onto other properties and would help homeowners in recreational areas that are seeing the highest property tax increases.  

Did the 2023 legislative session do enough to address the state’s housing crunch? Are there other avenues you’re in favor of pursuing?    

The 2023 Legislature did a lot to address the housing needs. The supreme court just upheld these commonsense pieces of legislation to help make housing more affordable. The federal government needs to promote more logging in Montana’s forests. This would help make lumber more affordable and mitigate fires in the summer. 

Public school districts across the state are facing budget shortfalls. What role can the Legislature play in shoring up public education funding?

The federal government supplied a lot of money in 2021 and 2022 to local governments and school districts.  Those districts that used the money to expand their budgets with items that need ongoing funding are experiencing budget needs now. School funding is closely tied to property taxes. Montana families have to live within their tight budgets; Montana schools need to as well.  

How do you view the judicial branch in the state?

The judicial branch in Montana has moved into the legislating arena. They need to leave their personal opinions at home and interpret laws by the constitution. An example would be the election integrity laws passed by the Legislature. The Montana Constitution is clear that election laws are to be set by the Legislature. The courts threw them out because the laws didn’t fit their ideology.

What other policies or issues would you like to address if elected?

I would also like to address the illegal immigration crisis.  This past summer there was an effort to convene a special legislative session to address the state’s ability to handle illegal immigrants.  I would like to see the same legislation, modeled after Texas and Iowa, that would have been brought forth then addressed in 2025.