2019 Year in Review

Governor Steve Bullock’s staff here. As 2019 comes to an end, we wanted to share with our fellow Montanans some of the highlights from the year. From strengthening the economy, to investing in education, to improving access to health care, and protecting our lands, Governor Bullock continued to get things done for Montanans and ensure future generations will have the opportunity to prosper.

Check it out below.

Governor Bullock made a number of announcements highlighting Montana’s strong and growing economy under his tenure, including marking the longest economic expansion in recorded U.S. history:

Governor Bullock highlighted Montana’s continued growth and diversification of apprenticeships, which are at an all-time high in the state. In 2018, 857 people enrolled in an apprenticeship, compared to just 424 new apprentices in 2013. The program added apprenticeships in eight new occupations in 2019, including in high-demand fields such as x-ray technicians, community health workers and EMTs.

Governor Bullock’s administration welcomed and helped to recruit or assist new businesses to Montana, including Bedrock Sandals, Swarming Technologies, FLIR, Western States Asphalt, Aurora, Cognizant, and American Harvest. Montana’s high-tech sector is expected to add 1,7000 new jobs in 2019 and make at least $125 million in capital investments. Governor Bullock also signed into law new film tax credits to help incentivize film production companies to do business in Montana.

Building on Montana as a leading state in outdoor recreation GDP and outdoor recreation participation rate, Governor Bullock’s administration continued efforts to help businesses improve their impact and grow their companies in the outdoor recreation space.

Governor Bullock signed into law a sweeping package of statewide infrastructure investments. The nearly $400 million in projects will provide clean drinking water, safe wastewater, storm systems, bridges and buildings and support the economic vitality of communities across the state. Governor Bullock also reauthorized a set of business development tools to help small businesses expand their footprint and support jobs.

Governor Bullock concluded his yearlong tenure as chair of the National Governors Association, releasing a guide for his fellow governors on how to help prepare their workforce for the jobs of the future. Governor Bullock’s initiative as NGA chair, Good Jobs for All Americans, explored how state leaders can help Americans of all backgrounds adapt to a fast-changing workforce.

Governor Bullock continued his commitment to making record investments in public education:

Governor Bullock celebrated the first full year of the “One-Two-Free” initiative which gives high school students access to two free dual enrollment courses through the Montana University System. In the first year, students and families saved over $7.2 million in tuition costs, and students from more than 150 schools in Montana took some form of dual enrollment, leading to a 25% boost in the number of credits taken. Nearly 8,000 students participated in dual enrollment during the 2018–2019 school year, more than doubling since 2014.

Since 2015, Governor Bullock has partnered with EducationSuperHighway to prioritize bridging the gap between urban and rural schools, this year announcing that 100% of K-12 schools have access to high-speed broadband in accordance with the FCC’s minimum goals. This is an increase from 78% in 2015. Additionally, bandwidth costs for schools have decreased to $2.40 per Mbps from $10 per Mbps just four years ago and 60% of schools have been upgraded to fiber.

Governor and First Lady Bullock continued their partnership with Montana No Kid Hungry to assist Montana schools in offering school breakfast. The Breakfast After the Bell initiative provided $175,000 in privately funded grants to 41 schools over the 2018–2019 school year. A total of $461,00 has been awarded to 110 schools since 2014 and 61% of food insecure students have gained access to breakfast, up from 46% in 2014.

Governor Bullock announced a $2.1 million grant to train 1,100 additional teachers in 100 schools to use the PAX Good Behavior Game, an evidence-based tool proven to build emotional resilience and enhance social skills. Governor Bullock visited a 2nd classroom in Billings to see how the game works in a real classroom.

Governor Bullock spearheaded the reauthorization of Medicaid expansion, preserving access to physical and mental health care for nearly 1 in 10 of the state’s population. The reauthorization sustains thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars into the state’s economy, as well as serves as a lifeline for rural hospitals. Additionally, it provides health coverage to nearly 10,000 veterans and their families and to nearly 15,000 American Indians.

Following legislation passed by the 2019 legislature, Governor Bullock’s administration received federal approval of Montana’s reinsurance waiver to lower healthcare premiums and bring stability to the individual marketplace. Reinsurance is anticipated to lower healthcare costs by 9% at the new year, saving Montanans $31.3 million in lower premiums. The legislation is a result of a working group established by Governor Bullock.

Governor Bullock signed an executive order establishing Big Sky Care Connect as the statewide health information exchange. The state received $19 million from the federal government to support the exchange which will give providers access to patient data in real time to improve the quality of care and reduce health care costs, culminating from several years of work by the Governor’s Council on Healthcare Innovation.

Governor Bullock signed the Firefighter Protection Act into law to provide firefighters with workers’ compensation coverage for presumptive illness after nearly a two-decade fight. The act provides well-deserved protections for firefighters and their families who put their long-term health on the line in service to Montanans.

Governor Bullock announced a $10 million grant to expand obstetric and maternal support services to improve health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women in rural Montana. The MOMS program will bring more obstetric training to rural communities, expand mental health and substance use counseling, establish medication-assisted treatment, and relieve a shortage of providers in maternal healthcare. This complements current efforts of the administration through the Meadowlark Initiative which supports hospitals around Montana with behavioral health needs for pregnant and postpartum women.

With public health officials across the state, Governor Bullock shared Montana’s progress in decreasing opioid deaths over a six-year period and in decreasing the number and strength of opioids prescribed to patients. The administration highlighted efforts to combat the invisible epidemic with care through Medicaid expansion, increased access to naloxone, and more evidence-based treatment options.

Governor Bullock joined the Ft. Belknap Indian Community Tribal leaders and state legislators in celebrating a new law that will allow tribes to set up federally supported Community Health Aide Programs and improve access to health care for Native Americans living in reservation communities. CHAP will allow indigenous people to receive training and provide basic primary and preventative care in their communities, helping to address a lack of health care providers in rural areas of the state and eliminating the need to travel long distances to access basic care.

Governor Bullock signed five pieces of legislation to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women epidemic. After advocacy from Montana’s Tribal Nations, tribal community members, and bipartisan legislative support, the legislation established a position for a mission person specialist, revised laws related to missing person and children, and provided extra tools to assist law enforcement with missing persons cases.

Governor Bullock proposed and signed legislation to honor Montana’s Native heritage and history by permanently displaying the flags of the state’s eight tribal nations on State Capitol grounds and consulted with tribal leaders across the state to select the design for display. Additionally, Governor Bullock worked with the 2019 legislature to reauthorize and expand the Montana Indian Language Preservation Program.

Governor Bullock secured $350,000 in funding to increase access to the HiSet for students at Montana Tribal Colleges. Tribal colleges are eligible for $25,000 each year of the biennium to help students prepare to take and pass the HiSet high school equivalency test. This is the first time Montana Tribal Colleges have received funding to support the HiSet.

Lt. Governor Mike Cooney launched the second phase of the Main Street Montana — Rural Partners initiative and traveled to each reservation community to engage tribal leaders to understand their individual economic challenges. The initiative identified partnership opportunities to highlight each community’s strengths and support efforts to increase access to education and jobs, promote and grow local businesses, and identify ways to grow the economy.

Governor Bullock raised the flag of the Little Shell Tribe at the Montana State Capitol for a day and signed a proclamation in honor of the official recognition of the Little Shell Tribe by the federal government as a tribe of the United States, reaffirming the state’s commitment to maintaining a strong government-to-government relationship.

Through the work of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, alongside federal and nonprofit partners and the significant contributions of landowners, Governor Bullock helped protect over 22,000 acres in 2019, contributing to additions to our state’s Wildlife Management Areas and conservation easements that both safeguard habitat and keep working lands in production. All told the Governor has secured an additional 118,000 acres of conservation through FWP affiliated projects during his tenure.

After launching the Parks in Focus Commission to lay out a vision to address pressures at Montana’s State Parks, Governor Bullock celebrated the prioritizing of investment needs to ensure all parks are on a path to meet and exceed standards of excellence. This includes new funding to support state parks, fishing access sites, and trails, and investments in long over-due infrastructure needs at state parks such as Makoshika and Big Arm.

Governor Bullock highlighted the increased aquatic invasive species prevention efforts underway to protect Montana’s waters, including expanded partner involvement with watercraft inspection statements and increased public awareness. Governor Bullock visited the state’s busiest watercraft inspection station to encourage Montanans to clean, drain, and dry.

Governor Bullock held a signing ceremony for the final Natural Resource Damage Program East Helena Restoration Plan, which allocates $5 million for the construction of the Greenway trail system and priority water infrastructure projects in the East Helena community. The project adds to significant progress made in the cleanup, remediation and restoration of the former East Helena ASARCO smelter site.

Due to strong fiscal management by Governor Bullock, the general fund is in good shape and the rainy day fund is strong as 2019 comes to a close. The fire fund was rebuilt to more than $60 million following the most expensive fire season on record in 2017 and the fire fund can now cover two and half times the cost of a typical fire year or another year like 2017.

Governor Bullock created several councils to facilitate statewide discussions from diverse perspectives of Montanans and provide recommendations on future solutions:

Governor Bullock proposed and passed in the 2019 legislative session a ban on foreign governments, corporations and individuals from spending money in our state elections. After being personally involved in authoring the original complaint and shepherding the case, Governor Bullock won the suit Bullock v. IRS which challenged a move by the IRS that made it easier for dark money groups to hide their donors from disclosure.

Governor Bullock advanced negotiations toward a final consent decree to complete cleanup actions at the Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit of the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund site. The final consent decree will be released to the public for review prior to lodging early in the new year. Under the Governor’s leadership, the State’s Natural Resources Damage Program also completed Phase I of the Parrot Tailings Waste removal project on time and under budget and took measures to ensure Phase II removals would proceed to address once and for all the most significant source of contamination to groundwater impacting Silver Bow and Blacktail creeks.

Governor Bullock was reappointed to a third term on the Council of Governors, making him the longest serving member on the Council and appointed by both a Democrat and a Republican President. Serving on the Council, Governor Bullock provides input on matters regarding the National Guard, homeland defense, and defense support to civil authorities, participating in meetings to insist on decisions in the best interests of Montana National Guard members and their families.

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