Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the HJ 34 Beef Producers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee debates wording of beef‑industry resolution; agreement sought on political language
Summary
Lawmakers discussed House Joint Resolution 34, which affirms support for Montana beef producers and opposes regulations perceived as threatening to the industry. Committee members debated removing politicized phrasing (references to the 'far left Green New Deal') and agreed to hold the measure to consider conceptual amendments.
Representative Brandon Greg introduced House Joint Resolution 34, a measure intended to express the legislature’s support for Montana beef producers and to urge fair markets and reduced regulatory burdens. Early proponents, including representatives of the Montana Stockgrowers Association and the Farm Bureau, praised ranchers’ economic and cultural role in Montana.
Jay Bodner of the Montana Department of Livestock (informational witness) said resolutions of this type function as a formal statement to Congress and can shape legislative conversations at the state level. Committee members discussed specific language in the resolution that referred to the ‘Green New Deal’ and similar phrasing and debated whether that politically‑charged wording should be removed or replaced with narrower language about "proposals and regulations that threaten the beef industry."
Some senators urged removing partisan qualifiers to keep the resolution uplifting and focused on policy impacts, while others argued that prior regulatory proposals justified calling out specific proposals. The committee did not adopt a committee amendment during the hearing; members agreed to hold executive action and consider a conceptual amendment before the transmittal deadline for joint resolutions.
No final vote was taken; the committee paused action on HJ 34 to refine language and seek broader consensus.
