LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE - BRITT KISSOCK-ROBINSON, CHAIR

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 2024 AQHA OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF RULES AND REGULATIONS

The AQHA Official Handbook of Rules and Regulations is now available online as a free PDF at www.aqha.com/aqha-rulebook. The printed rulebook can be purchased for $10 at www.aqha.com/rulebook-request-form.

AQHA members can also download the app for free by visiting your smart phone app store and searching for “AQHA rulebook.” If you previously downloaded a 2023 AQHA Rulebook app, you will need to update your current app.

Disclaimer: Because the online version of the AQHA Rulebook can be updated throughout the year, it should be considered the most-current version of the AQHA Official Handbook of Rules and Regulations.

2024 AQHA CONVENTION

The 2024 AQHA Convention is March 15-18 at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. 

Convention is a chance for breeders, trainers, owners and members from all over the world to discuss issues affecting the industry and discuss proposed changes to the way AQHA does business.

Register for the AQHA convention to:

· Make a difference in your Association.

· Be involved in the AQHA governance process.

· Vote on important AQHA rule changes
(To have voting rights at the 2024 Convention, you must be an AQHA member at least 60 days prior to the first day of the 2024 Convention. Members must be in-person to vote at the 2024 Convention).

· Attend the Equine Industry Business Workshop and Affiliates Round Table Session.

· Mix and Mingle with your fellow horse enthusiasts during special events and receptions, including the new Convention Party.

· Honor breeders who have shaped the industry during the AQHA Breeder Recognition Banquet.

· And more!

A current AQHA membership is all that is required to register for the AQHA Convention. Committee meetings are open to registered convention attendees and are conducted in two sessions:  (1) An “open discussion” session in which non-committee members can join in the discussion and (2) a “committee member discussion” session in which the discussion is limited to committee members. Occasionally, a meeting moves into a “committee members only” session, per direction of the committee or chairperson.

Register online by January 31 to avoid late registration fees. AQHA is again offering the young adult registration, which is a special registration rate for members ages 35 and under to be involved in the Association’s governance process.
https://www.aqha.com/aqha-convention

SAVING RODEO IN LOS ANGELES

December 6, 2023: City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield’s ordinance to ban rodeo and bull riding was withdrawn following concerns raised about its impact on communities of color as well as the lack of peer-input in creating the proposed law. A new ordinance will be drafted by the LA City Attorney to be heard at the Neighborhoods and Community Enrichment Committee.

For the Western Justice Coalition, a diverse body of more than 60 rodeo and Western sports organization, the fight in Los Angeles has begun anew. Resolving the battle in Los Angeles may take many months. It will likely never be over for a sport so steeped in Western ways.

“The legislation shows the danger of trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist with a law that does more harm than good. The proposed ban was based on rampant misinformation, culturally insensitive, and completely unnecessary. With the ordinance now going back to Committee, the City Council can now have an inclusive discussion with genuine inquiry to do the right thing for the community, especially at a time when our society needs cowboys and all they stand for.” – Sean Gleason, CEO, PBR

2024 MONTANA ELECTIONS

Montana’s 2024 ballot will host a suite of consequential elections — among them a race that could decide the balance of the U.S. Senate, two open seats on the Montana Supreme Court, two U.S. House races, the governorship, and a bevy of other statewide offices. And, for good measure, there may be some major ballot measures thrown in too.

Candidates have from January 11 through March 11, 2024 to file for office with the Montana Secretary of State. The primary election is June 4, 2024, and the general election is November 5, 2024. 

The following guide will be updated periodically as the fields in various races fill up between now and the March filing deadline: https://montanafreepress.org/2024/01/16/whos-running-state-federal-office-montana-2024-election/ Get informed & VOTE!

MONTANA PROPERTY TAX TASK FORCE 

January 11, 2024- Governor Greg Gianforte launched a property tax task force to provide recommendations the legislature could consider and the governor could sign into law to reform the property tax system and restrain property tax growth.

Members include:

· Ryan Osmundson, task force chair and director of the Office of Budget and Program Planning

· Sen. Greg Hertz (R-Polson), chair of Senate Taxation Committee, member of Joint Education Committee

· Sen. Tom McGillvray (R-Billings), member of Senate Finance & Claims Committee, member of Appropriations and Finance & Claims Committee

· Sen. Shane Morigeau (D-Missoula), member of Senate Finance & Claims Committee, Joint Education Committee

· Rep. David Bedey (R-Hamilton), chair of Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, member of Joint Education Committee

· Rep. Dave Fern (D-Whitefish), member of House Taxation Committee

· Rep. Llew Jones (R-Conrad), chair of House Appropriations Committee, chair of Joint Appropriations and Finance & Claims Committee

· Brendan Beatty, director of the Montana Department of Revenue

· Manish Bhatt, senior policy analyst with the Center for State Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation

· Kendall Cotton, president and CEO of the Frontier Institute

· Errol Galt, commissioner of Meagher County

· Pam Holmquist, commissioner of Flathead County 

· Jeremy Horpedahl, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and director of Arkansas Center for Research in Economics at the University of Central Arkansas

· Dwaine Iverson, board member of the Montana Taxpayers Association and CPA

· Cyndi Johnson, president of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation

· Sean Logan, commissioner of City of Helena

· Lance Melton, executive director of the Montana School Boards Association

· Gordon Oelkers, commissioner of Roosevelt County

· Todd O’Hair, president and CEO of the Montana Chamber of Commerce

· Justin Ross, Ph.D.,professor of economics and public finance, Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University; co-editor-in-chief of Public Budgeting & Finance

· Derek “DJ” Smith, president of the Montana Association of Realtors

· Sandra Vasecka, council member of the City of Missoula

· Ronda Wiggers, Montana State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business

While the task force may recommend any strategy to reform of the property tax system, the governor expressly asked the task force to provide recommendations that

· arrest the rate of growth of property taxes, including assessments and fees, as well as alleviate the impact of drastic increases of property reappraisals;

· increase transparency of property tax bills, make them easier to understand for property taxpayers, and improve customer service in the payment schedules for property taxpayers;

· increase transparency of and public engagement in public budgeting;

· increase public participation for mill levy ballot measures;

· ensure property taxes paid by Montana resident homeowners and on Montana long-term rentals reflect well on supporting homeownership and workforce housing;

· ensure each Montana child has access to a quality education; and

· ensure lower-income Montana homeowners, Montana homeowners who are on a fixed income, and disabled Montana veterans or their surviving spouse are not at risk of losing their home because of property taxes.

The task force will hold its first meeting in February, will seek input from Montana citizens, and will produce a written report with recommendations and strategies by August 15, 2024. 

https://news.mt.gov/Governors-Office/Governor_Gianforte_Launches_Property_Tax_Task_Force

https://gov.mt.gov/Documents/GovernorsOffice/executiveorders/View?doc=Executive_Order_1-2024.pdf

 MONTANA LEGISLATURE INTERIM MEETING: AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION

January 12, 2024: Agriculture production topics are being studied by the 2023-2024 Economic Affairs Interim Committee (EAIC). The next EAIC meeting will be January 17, 2024, at the State Capitol where the meatpacking industry, as it relates to Montana, and other state agriculture production programs will be highlighted by LSD staff, the Department of Livestock, and the Department of Agriculture.

Taking a look at the history of the meat production industry and why we have the processes we have today supports educated recommendations for future legislation and standards. Unpacking the Meatpacking Industry provides a detailed summary of this journey and US Trade in Agriculture Commodities examines agriculture trends in the nation. Both are produced by Legislative Services Division (LSD) staff.

The USDA reported in 2021 that cattle ranked #1 in Montana’s cash receipts by commodity and, while the cattle industry remains ahead of the herd in the state’s agriculture industry, there has been legislative efforts to expand opportunities for the livestock and meatpacking economy. 

https://mtlegnews.gov/agriculture-production-got-beef/
https://leg.mt.gov/committees/interim/eaic/meeting-info/

MONTANA AG ASKS COURT TO BLOCK BIDEN “NET-ZERO” HIGHWAY EMISSIONS RULE

January 17, 2024: Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen asked a district court Friday to block the Biden administration’s greenhouse gas emissions rule while litigation proceeds. The rule would require states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles on its roadways to help achieve President Biden’s economy-wide goal of having “net-zero” emissions by 2050.

AG Knudsen contends the final rule is unlawful because it was promulgated in excess of the agencies’ statutory authority, violates the Constitution by usurping the role of the Legislature and of the States, and is arbitrary and capricious. The lawsuit calls for the court to vacate the rule in its entirety and prohibit its enforcement.

If the rule takes effect, Montana and other states would be forced to devote significant resources to comply with the federal agency’s February 1 deadline to establish targets and report to the agency. 

The rule will disproportionately harm states with more rural areas. According to federal data, the average Montana driver drove 14,640 miles in 2020, 2.5 times more than the average driver in Washington, DC. States like Montana that are both rural and growing in population would “likely have the largest challenge of all” in implementing the rule.

https://dojmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/28-1-Memorandum-in-Support.pdf

MONTANA AG TESTIFIES IMPEACHMENT HEARING

January 10, 2024: Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen testified Wednesday at a U.S. House of Representatives impeachment hearing against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Attorney General Knudsen outlined how Mayorkas’ refusal to execute federal immigration law and failure to deal with the southern border crisis have had a devastating impact on Montana communities.

“The most devastating impact of the open border on Montana has been the massive quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine. In 2020, drug task forces in our state seized 6,663 dosage units of fentanyl. In 2021, the first year of Secretary Mayorkas’ watch at the border, that quantity exploded ten-fold to 61,000. In 2022, we tripled that, seizing nearly 190,000 dosage units. The numbers aren’t finalized for 2023, but as of the third quarter, we were on track to seize nearly one half-million dosage units of fentanyl and yet another 200 pounds of methamphetamine. And the cartels trafficked 100 percent of that fentanyl and methamphetamine across the southern border.”

https://dojmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/Written-testimony.pdf
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