Pub. 4 2016 Issue 3

6 The Community Banker www.mibonline.org Executive Director’s Report W elcome to our final 2016 edition of The Community Banker. Another year is on its way out, and another Montana Legis- lative session is on its way in. Given that I am writing this column just a few days short of Halloween, it is appropriate to label that last fact as ‘spooky’ for, as Gideon Tucker famously wrote: “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.” The 2017 Montana Legis- lature will convene early this session, with a start date of Monday January 2, 2017. In turn, the Legislature is slated to finish sooner than usual with a sine die date of April 25. This last day is significant because it indicates that the Legislative Session will not, for the first time in years, be butting up against the ICBA Washington Policy Summit, which is set for April 29—May 2, 2017. The annual fly-in is the Association’s best opportunity to speak directly with all of our congressional delegation about federal issues and policies which impact the community banking industry. As such, the Associa- tion always encourages any and all of its members to join us in Washington D.C. to meet with our two Senators and our one member of the House. Speaking of Washington D.C., as of the date I am writing this, the United States Congress has adjourned and is conducting no business until after the Novem- ber 8th election date. Congress is set to reconvene in late November and early December to conclude its budget and legislative work for the year. As part of that year end legislative crunch, MIB is working with Montana’s congressional dele- gation to ensure that as much of ICBA’s regulatory relief agenda is enacted into law as possible. But, just because Congress itself isn’t meeting and just because we aren’t in our nation’s capital at the moment, that doesn’t mean that MIB’s board members aren’t talking to our congressional delegation about issues of importance. In late July, MIB board members met with Representative Zinke, and in early October we met with Senator Daines about the Association’s legislative prior- ities. Our legislative advocacy services on your behalf continue year-round. Turning back to Montana, the 2017 Legislative Session will be another active one for the Association, but not as active as usual perhaps. This is because Banking Commissioner Melanie Hall has indicated that the Banking Division does not plan to carry any legislative bills this coming session for the first time in years. In addition, as you will recall during the 2015 legislative session, the banking industry advanced several legal reform bills that were designed to address the problems created by recent Montana judicial de- cisions, which greatly expanded lending liabilities for banks. Those bills were vetoed by Gov- ernor Bullock. Whether those bills make reappearance during the 2017 legislative session will likely depend on the outcome of the November 8th general election results for the office of Governor. The 2017 Legislature will likely be a tough one for legis- lators. If you have picked up a newspaper or turned on a news broadcast over the last several months, you have heard that the State’s budget projections are falling fast. Due to a huge loss of revenue collected by the State of Montana from its natural resources industries, such as oil and gas, coal, and agriculture, the State is facing a budget crunch for the next two- year budget cycle. As a result of this financial development, you can bet that there will be a lot of political posturing and a lot of wheeling-and-dealing to get House Bill 2 passed. Speaking of the legislature, the Association is pleased to announce the dates when the Association will be hosting its state legislative advocacy meet- ing. MIB has scheduled January 18-19, 2017 as the dates for the membership to come to Helena to meet with their legislators and their banking colleagues to advocate on behalf of Montana’s community banking industry. As we get closer to that date, the Association will provide more detail on the legislative dinner and associated advo- cacy activities. In the mean- time, make sure to mark those January dates on your calendar and make your plans to meet us in Helena at the Great Northern Best Western Hotel. As discussed above, strong legislative advocacy and good public policy are two of the ma- jor benefits the Association pro - vides to its membership. For the last several years, the Associa- tion and the MIB Board of Direc- tors have stepped up its public profile and are doing even more outreach to our elected officials and to the public about the benefits of community banking both nationally and in Montana. However, to maximize our ef- forts, the Association needs your input as to the legislative and regulatory issues most import- ant to your banking operation, and as to what the Association can be doing better to maximize your membership dues. So, let us hear from you, and we look forward to seeing you in Helena and in Washington D.C. in 2017. Jim Brown, MIB Executive Director