Strategic Objective

Lead the community in local, state and federal issues impacting business and our quality of life.

There are a number of issues that affect Billings, our members, the business community, City and County Government and our strategic partners such as Big Sky EDA/EDC and the Downtown Billings Partnership. Our challenge is to take a proactive role in focusing on the core issues, prioritizing these issues and engaging the community to speak as one unified voice. Through the Government Affairs Committee and issues task forces, we will study and work the priority issues relating to education, energy, transportation, healthcare, tourism, taxation and workforce development.  The Billings Chamber/CVB's Government Affairs Department is lead by Bruce MacIntyre.  Bruce can be reached at (406)245-4111.


A Look at Fiscal Year 2008-2009
1. Lead role in passage of local option taxing authority legislation;
2. Maintain Billings’ position as Montana’s Air Service leader;
3. Leadership position on Shiloh Road so construction begins April ‘09;
4. Improve the Education System through local education and state reform;
5. Be Billings’ Voice for Business at the state legislature.


A Look Back at 2007-2008
By:  Bruce MacIntyre, Government Affairs Director

In the Government Affairs arena, the 2007-08 year was a time of re-evaluation and rebuilding. When the legislative session ended in April of 2007, our work on the 2009 session began. One of the first things that took place was the Incumbent Worker Training Pilot Program. As the session neared the end, Charles Brooks and I had the opportunity to visit with Montana Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Keith Kelly, and the Commissioner advised us that he felt he would be able to find funds to pilot an incumbent worker training program. As a result, $250,000 was identified to help train small business workers in businesses with 20 or fewer employees. The program has been an overwhelming success as hundreds of workers from Livingston to Billings to Lewistown were trained. An additional $250,000 has been allocated for the 2008-09 fiscal year. The success stories from this program will be the centerpiece of legislation intended to make Incumbent Worker Training permanent. Locally, we began a dialogue with the Crow Nation, and it is hoped that we will forge a close working relationship that will help the unemployment problem in Crow Agency as well as the employment requirements in Billings.

One of our major disappointments during the session was the inability to get the caps removed from existing resort tax law, to allow communities of all sizes the authority to implement a maximum of 3% tax on food, bar and lodging. Knowing that taxation legislation to allow Montana’s cities and towns to implement a local tax, for a specific purpose, with property tax relief provisions would be a key issue for the 2009 session, we began developing our strategy. Before we enter the session, we will have a carefully crafted, widely accepted piece of proposed legislation in place. But having proposed legislation is only part of this process. As candidates have filed for office, we have tried to be in contact with them to make our potential issues known, make a connection with them, and encourage their feedback. This will continue on through the general election as well as the 2009 session. Then we start all over again!

On a sad note, our lobbyist and friend Charles Brooks passed on, and left a large void in our legislative program. Charles has represented the Billings Chamber/CVB through 7 sessions, and was one of the most respected lobbyists in Helena. Charles was not only our lobbyist, he was our friend, and we will miss his sharp wit, sage advice on legislative issues, and his wonderful smile. Charles was the consummate gentleman.