MONTANA REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM
Adopted June 21, 2008
Agriculture
Preamble
The Montana Republican Party recognizes that agriculture is of prime importance to the prosperity and growth of this state. Agriculture is the largest industry in Montana, the largest producer of new wealth, and a major contributor of tax revenue. We recognize that pride of ownership, under a free enterprise system, is the incentive for people to participate in agricultural production. We recommend the elimination of unnecessary regulations and the preservation of private property rights. We support new technologies that add value to our agriculture products.
Agricultural Economy
We believe that Montana's agricultural producers must prosper for Montana to prosper, and that the best way to achieve prosperity is through individual initiative, free from excessive government influence or intervention. Government programs that support prices or provide low interest loans must be administered fairly.
We support the continuance of an actuarially sound, multi-peril crop insurance program.
Brucellosis
The presence of brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone area has an adverse impact on the hunting and cattle industries in Montana. Recognizing the economic and cultural importance of Montana’s cattle industry and our hunting heritage, the ramifications of the brucellosis outbreak, and the loss of Montana’s brucellosis class free status, we support acting as quickly as possible to adopt and implement brucellosis management strategies for cattle and wildlife, other than split-state status, that will regain Montana’s brucellosis class free status. Furthermore, we support eradicating brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone area.
Predators and Rodents
We support those actions that would further ensure the safety and protection of Montana's livestock herds from predators. We support a rodent control program that protects the agricultural lands of Montana. We strongly oppose the artificial introduction or augmentation of any threatened or endangered species.
We support the delisting of wolves from the Endangered Species List and the management of wolves by the State of Montana.
Weed and Pest Control
We urge the establishment of an interim legislative committee to study, develop, and promote a weed management plan for the state of Montana.
We urge state and national agencies and corporations to promote the development of practical, safe, and effective programs for the control of harmful weeds and insects. We urge national agencies to accept responsibility for the control of harmful weeds and insects on federal lands.
We urge state agencies, including the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, to accept responsibility for weed and insect control of all non-leased state lands. We urge government at all levels to coordinate with each other to address weed control.
We oppose any efforts to eliminate the safe use of scientifically proven pesticides and herbicides. We support effective weed control through such means as chemical, biological, and cultural methods.
We support research for integrated, non-chemical control of weeds and pests, and the expansion and preservation of biological facilities within Montana.
We urge the State of Montana to coordinate with local weed districts to structure a high-quality, cost-effective program at local levels that would enhance a statewide weed management plan with special emphasis on education, technical guidance, and implementation.
We strongly urge coordination and cooperation between insect and weed control districts at all levels of government.
We encourage special attention by the legislature to the problems of weed management and the liability involved for county weed boards.
Agricultural Chemicals
We support the harmonization of agriculture chemicals between Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Farm Marketing
We support updated federal grain standards that are competitive in the world market.
We support fair trade agreements concerning meat, livestock, grain, and lumber as long as excessive imports of these products do not cause a negative impact on our economy.
We strongly urge equalization of the livestock border health inspection process and support country of origin labeling. We encourage the labeling of food to identify imported products.
We support the "value added" concept for Montana's agricultural products as a way to improve our state's economy.
We believe that jobs created in Montana's renewable resource industries are long-term stable jobs that contribute to a future for our children and financial stability for our state.
We very strongly oppose the selective use of agricultural commodities as a weapon in the foreign policy of our nation, by such means as grain embargoes and trade sanctions.
Private Property
The right to acquire, possess, and protect private property is a fundamental right, guaranteed and protected under the United States and Montana Constitutions. Protection of private property from confiscation by the state without compensation is what distinguishes a truly free and democratic society from tyrannical forms of government. Accordingly we will defend the right to acquire, possess, and protect private property from unnecessary government infringement, including state laws or regulations which erode property rights and inhibit the free use, the right to privacy, and the enjoyment of private property.
Economic activities must be protected from government action which arbitrarily limits or conditions legal enterprise. Therefore, the government should not interfere with a property owner’s lawful use of property without due process and just compensation.
When fee title to private property is taken by the government by eminent domain, it must only be taken for a public use in which the government owns and the public uses the property. When eminent domain takings occur, the government should compensate the private property owner for the full market value of any property that is taken. When the government takes less than the full title or value of the property, whether by eminent domain or regulation, just compensation must be provided to cover the diminished value of the property.
We support property owners' fundamental right to control access to private land. We oppose forced access by any individual, group, or entity for purposes of inventory or survey without permission of property owners.
The recreational use of Montana’s waters, wildlife, and public lands, and the rights of private property owners in Montana are critical to providing an atmosphere of cooperation and harmony in landowner-recreationist relations. Cooperative agreements or programs which protect and recognize the rights, interests and stewardship of Montana landowners, while encouraging Montana’s important outdoor recreational heritage and rights are critical.
We oppose conservation easement requirements that would limit productivity of agriculture land and further erode the tax base of Montana counties.
Transportation
We believe competition is essential in bringing about effective service in the rail and truck transportation industries. We support both the interstate and intrastate systems, and we urge that they be well maintained and that we improve our primary and secondary highways.
Additionally, the transportation system must fulfill its obligations as public carriers within the private enterprise system to provide and maintain a vital and adequate system of branch lines for the effective marketing of our agricultural, natural resources, and other industrial products.
We urge the modification of the Cargo Preference Act, which adds significantly to the cost of agricultural commodities shipped overseas.
We advocate the humane transportation of all animals.
Meat
We recommend more rigid inspection of all imported meats and other foods to guarantee a high quality product to the consumer. We support a Montana based and inspected meat packing industry that would provide clean, quality meat products to the nation’s consumers.
We oppose federal requirements that would inhibit small meat packing operations in Montana.
Water
We support all uses of water (agriculture, industrial, individual, state, federal, and tribal) be established under state water law and further urge the rapid adjudication of all water rights in state courts to comply with the Montana Constitution.
We believe that wilderness areas have no implied water rights in their designation and that all water rights in wilderness areas are subject to state sovereignty.
We urge the consideration of flow rate, as opposed to volume, in the adjudication of water rights.
We believe that measurable water quality standards should be established to allow a healthy economic climate and protect this most precious resource.
We strongly oppose federal laws and regulations designed to control Montana lands and waters.
State and Federal Lands
We endorse the concept of multiple use of state lands. We support the “no net gain” philosophy in the acquisition of land by government or tax exempt entities.
We strongly oppose the government policies that initiate eco-system management as opposed to long-recognized multiple-use concepts of resource management and stewardship.
We urge administrators of state lands to adopt an appeals process that discourages or eliminates frivolous actions.
We believe that the primary purpose of State School Trust Land is to provide revenue for the schools. We oppose unlimited recreational access to these lands to the extent that it reduces revenue to the schools and decreases the values of the lease to the lessor. Such use may result in liability problems to the lessee and should be limited by law.
We support good land stewardship and the development of state land resources.
Access to Public Lands
We believe that access to state lands should be managed with specific areas of concern including, but not limited to: fire suppression; weed, insect, rodent, and predator control; handicap access; livestock management facilities and measures, and; environmentally responsible development of Montana’s natural resources.
Animal Care
We oppose any legislative or regulatory actions that would adversely affect good poultry, livestock and fur bearing animal husbandry practices.
AMERICAN INDIAN AFFAIRS
Preamble
The Montana Republican Party fully supports the self-governance and self-determination by American Indian tribes and their governments free of control of the Federal Government and full legal rights of American Indian individuals, on and off reservations.
Human Services
We recognize that the State of Montana is bound to follow the Indian Child Welfare Act provisions regarding adoption of American Indian children.
State Administration
We recommend that the state of Montana build a business relationship with tribal governments.
We recommend the review of Tribal-State cooperative agreements.
We recommend the appointing of an American Indian firefighting advisory group.
We recommend the creation of a Republican American Indian task force to meet with American Indians and develop further suggestions regarding party positions pertaining to American Indian issues.
Economic Development
We support those AmericanIndians who want jobs developed in the natural resources area, including timber, oil and gas, and coal-bed natural gas.
We encourage state and federal governments to provide equal access to training to Indian firefighters to develop expanded job opportunities as national emergency response teams particularly in the area of homeland security, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, bombings, and other disasters.
We recommend that the Republican National Committee establish an American Indian Caucus and fund Get Out the Vote efforts.
BUSINESS AND LABOR
Preamble
The Montana Republican Party stands firmly behind the principle that economic well being for our state and its people will be established only through a strong and unencumbered free enterprise system accompanied by fair trade, both domestic and abroad.
We are committed to raising the personal income and standard of living of all Montanans. We believe this will be accomplished through a private sector, which recognizes and utilizes the creativity, ability, and strength of the individual.
We believe that prosperity results from freedom, and that the free market is the most efficient method of allocating resources and setting fair prices and wages.
We support responsible economic development and growth in Montana. To that end we encourage cooperation between business, labor, education, and government so that all Montanans will share in the resulting economic prosperity.
Employment
The Montana Republican Party recognizes that Montana's greatest resource is its skilled/educated, workforce. We encourage all employers to hire Montana workers, and we urge that our workforce be advertised as an incentive for attracting new business and industry into Montana.
We support federal and state participation in workforce training programs, which emphasizes a partnership between the public and private sector. We propose flexibility in the design and operation of these programs, which provides for decision-making by these partners at the local level.
We believe that all entrepreneurs should be afforded the opportunity to conduct all legal businesses within the state of Montana with a minimum of government interference and regulations.
We support equal opportunities and responsibilities for all persons, without regard to age, sex, race, religion, or disability. We advocate equal pay for equal work.
We believe that work rules and membership in labor bargaining units must remain free and flexible.
We support Republican efforts to allow child care choices for families who work outside the home as well as those who remain at home.
We believe that communications modernization will spur economic development, provide new jobs, and revitalize struggling communities. As such, the Montana Republican Party encourages and supports private sector efforts to update and improve Montana's communications infrastructure.
In order to allow affordable improvements in rural communities, we support the payment of local prevailing wages for projects funded by local tax dollars.
We encourage high wage jobs provided by our renewable and nonrenewable resource industries. We embrace the concept of multiple use and encourage the environmentally sound development of Montana's natural resources by the private sector.
We support and encourage new and existing businesses in Montana. We recognize the importance of employers, especially small business employers, as the source of economic growth in Montana. We support and encourage new capital investment in the Montana economy.
We urge greater support for recreation, tourism, preservation and promotion of our historic sites and buildings, and film making projects.
Worker's Compensation
We advocate a workers' compensation system that continues the reforms adopted by the Republican Legislature to reduce fraud and abuse, improve claims management, address safety in the workplace, and provide workers with reasonable benefits. We encourage private sector competition with the state fund to encourage further efficiencies, and enhance benefits to both employers and employees.
Government
The Montana Republican Party believes that the role of government in economic development is to cooperate with the private sector in a non-competitive fashion.
We oppose unfunded government mandates.
We support the concept of privatization of some government services as a method of reducing the state's expenditures and increasing the efficiency of state government. Government programs should be restricted to those services, which cannot be provided by the private sector.
We believe transparence in government should be enhanced by public notice of open building for government contracts pursuant to state law.
Regulations
The Montana Republican Party advocates that all current and future state regulations and statutes be assessed and, as appropriate, amended or repealed based on whether a taking of private property may occur. Where a taking is unavoidable, public policy must insist on fair and full compensation to the property owner.
We continue to support Republican efforts to reduce the size of state government through attrition, and improved efficiencies, recognizing it as an effective way to stop the growth of the bureaucracy without imposing economic hardship on any government employee.
We encourage the appointment of citizens with private sector experience and business knowledge to government advisory boards and agency positions whenever possible.
We support the active partnership of government and our basic industries in exploring opportunities for the export of Montana products in the world market. We also advocate further research into value-added production of Montana’s resources.
Tort Reform
Tort reform remains an important issue in Montana that must be addressed by both the state and federal governments in an effort to reduce frivolous lawsuits and unreasonable awards, driving up the costs of products and services.
CRIME
Preamble
The Montana Republican Party supports fair and equal enforcement of our criminal laws. Every person in Montana has a right to live free from fear of crime. We support victims' rights issues and requiring criminals to make restitution to their victims.
We support the concept of individual responsibility; that each person is solely responsible for his or her actions. We support laws that remove persistent felony offenders from society.
In order to promote public safety, increase public confidence and hold lawbreakers accountable, we support the following goals of Montana’s criminal justice system.
Truth in Sentencing
The public has a right to know, at the time of sentencing, the minimum amount of time a criminal will be incarcerated and under what conditions the criminal may be eligible for parole. The level of supervision at various states in the sentencing will be explained at the sentencing hearing.
Lifetime Supervision for Convicted Sexual Offenders
The Republican Party supports lifetime registration, monitoring, and supervision of convicted sexual offenders and timely notification of their pending release to victims and local (city and county) law enforcement.
We support legislation that requires local law enforcement to be notified of the relocation of sexual offenders, and urge the local media to broadcast these same facts. The information available to law enforcement will aggressively be disseminated to the public on the Attorney General’s website and by other proactive means.
School Safety
Every school must have the authority to, expel, or otherwise discipline, a student who brings a firearm, dangerous weapon, or illegal substances to school or commits or incites others to commit an act of violence toward teachers and/or students.
Homosexual Acts
We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal.
Youth Court
Youth Court should focus on responsibility and accountability through immediate, consistent, enforceable, and avoidable consequences for those who violate the law. Young lawbreakers must be made aware that their actions will have consequences. In the case of juvenile offenses, custodial parents or guardians must be a part of the restitution and rehabilitation process.
Prison Reform
We support prison reform requiring appropriate work for inmates; the development of alternative community-based restorative justice programs and facilities for prisoners convicted of non-violent crime; and prison living conditions which are humane, safe and, secure but without amenities so as to discourage recidivism. New Department of Corrections facilities must be approved by the voters of the community in which it is proposed.
Sexual Offense Victims
We believe that expenditures of state funds should prioritize restitution and treatment of victims of sexual offenses and their families before treatment for those who commit sexual offenses.
Restitution
Criminals have an obligation to repay victims or victims' families for the cost of the crime. The restitution obligation should be addressed at sentencing and a portion of the inmate’s earnings should be applied to restitution.
Limit Appeals
We urge the federal government to expedite appeal(s) in death penalty cases and restrict frivolous lawsuits by inmates, recognizing that the costs are borne by the taxpayers of Montana.
Jury Authority
We reaffirm the principle espoused by our nation's founders that our court system belongs to the people, not the government. We recognize both the power and the moral obligation vested in juries to secure justice by judging both the facts of a case and application of the law itself. We support requiring judges to fully inform jurors of their constitutional rights and responsibilities.
United States Congress
We urge the United States Congress to split the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and we urge our congressional delegation to seek legislation to accomplish this end.
Seatbelts
We oppose laws that would change Montana’s seatbelt law from a secondary offense to a primary offense except with respect to child restraint systems. Montana drivers should be punished for driving illegally and not because the driver was driving in a safe manner, without wearing a seatbelt.
Cyber Crime
Cyber crime is a growing menace that the legislature should continue to investigate and deal with appropriately. We support new laws establishing a separate penalty against internet predators who communicate with a child online and then travel to meet that child for the specific purpose of further sexually abusing him or her, and to establish penalties for offenders who misrepresent their age to seduce a child over the internet.
Drugs and Alcohol
The legislature should continue its efforts to deal effectively with those who drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We recognize the danger that methamphetamine poses to our society. We support stronger penalties for repeat offenders. We support alternatives and options to reduce recidivism.
Parental Rights
Parents shall be allowed to reasonably discipline their children, without legal consequences.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Montanan Republican Party supports the creation of a climate that makes all Montana businesses more competitive in a national and international marketplace. We support the creation of a business-friendly state that fosters good paying jobs through sustainable private sector economic development.
We believe the role of government in promoting economic growth is to implement broad-based reforms aimed at removing burdensome regulations that impede the growth and development of private businesses. We believe in limited, predictable, and equitable business regulation that is administered in a consistent, streamlined, and expeditious fashion.
We believe that all levels of education play a critical role in providing a highly skilled workforce capable of commanding higher wages and meeting the needs of our citizens and businesses.
We recognize that research, either private or from the University System, and the commercialization of that research, plays a vital role in growing our economy.
We believe that a broad-based, equitable, competitive and stable tax structure is critical to growing Montana businesses and attracting new good-paying jobs to the state.
We believe that responsible development of our natural resources, using best technology, is desirable and necessary to grow our economy.
We believe in growing and developing a thriving technology sector.
EDUCATION
Preamble
The Montana Republican Party is dedicated to providing the best basic educational opportunities for all persons. Education must be accountable to families and taxpayers in response to the needs of the students and families. Well-educated citizens are critical to economic stability of the community, state and nation. Republicans support a strong educational system.
Citizens shall be educated about our State and National Constitutions and histories to maintain the freedoms and rights that those constitutions provide and protect.
Public School Funding
Montana's school funding shall be based on a formula that considers educationally relevant components. We encourage school boards to cooperate with other communities to find efficiencies and innovations to designate more funds for the classroom.
The Montana Republican Party supports the use of school trust properties and the natural resources they represent to be developed for the purpose of funding our schools.
We encourage the legislature to schedule the school and primary elections to be held on the same day to provide convenience and to increase voter participation.
Local Control
Schools should be supervised and controlled locally, with local education systems remaining in the hands of locally elected trustees responsive to their communities. The legislature shall remove areas of law that create obstacles to voluntary consolidation.
We encourage public school trustees to provide daily the opportunity for students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Basic System of Quality Schools
We strongly support quality education as a vital investment in the overall well being of the state. A basic system of quality schools should be clearly defined, by legislative direction. We encourage locally elected school boards to incorporate in their kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculums an emphasis on America's free enterprise system and its value in the maintenance of freedom and the expansion of prosperity. We reaffirm our commitment to educational excellence through appropriate education for all students.
In the best interests of students, we believe distance learning is a valuable tool in the effort to bring an equal educational opportunity to every student in Montana.
We encourage Montana schools to teach American and Montana history, heritage, culture, fine arts, and vocational skills and technical education.
We support establishing incentives either at the state or local district level that will encourage Montana students graduating as teachers from Montana colleges and universities to take teaching positions in Montana schools.
The Republican Party supports alternative certification to promote highly qualified teachers for our classrooms.
Choice
We strongly support the right of parents to choose the way in which their children shall be educated, consistent with their academic expectations and personal values. We support freedom of choice for church, public charter, private, or home schools.
We further believe that competition in the educational marketplace has a strengthening effect on both public and private education, and serves the long-term best interests of all students. We therefore support an education policy that fosters the free movement of educational consumers to the schools of their choice.
Vocational and Technical Education
The Montana Republican Party supports a separate and autonomous two-year system of education including Vo-Tech schools, Community Colleges, Colleges of Technology and Tribal Colleges
Montana University System
We recognize our Montana University System as a key resource in responding to the rapid changes in technology, social structure and the national and international economies. Our system of higher education should be efficiently organized, adequately funded, and accessible to all Montana citizens.
The Party urges that the system's teacher education programs train teachers in academics and the principles of free government, training them to comprehend the rights, responsibilities, and dignity of American citizenship.
We strongly support the efforts to ensure that Montana's schools, especially rural schools, have total access to the national information highway. The utilization of modern communications and computer technology will be the key to creating a high quality, accessible education system.
We support increased opportunities for advanced professional training for Montana students including Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education (WICHE) and the Washington Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) Regional Medical Training Program.
The Montana Republican Party strongly supports efforts by the university system to graduate students within four years
The Montana Republican Party supports graduate level education and research programs within the university system.
HUMAN SERVICES
Preamble
The Montana Republican party recognizes that the individual has primary responsibility for his or her own health and welfare. We support efforts to improve the Montana human service delivery system by continuing to reassess the programs and participation of each department providing these services.
We support treatment and care whenever possible in a family related manner at the local or community level. The Montana Republican Party affirms its belief and support for family values.
Welfare
We support systems to help citizens exercise their responsibility and right to pursue life's basic necessities in order to become self-supporting citizens Administration of welfare programs should be returned to local government whenever possible. We support the concept of workfare, wherein those who are eligible for benefits might perform some meaningful labor, if able, as a condition of receiving benefits. We support time limits on benefits. Job training programs should always be designed to increase self-sufficiency and self esteem by placing people in long-term jobs.
We urge fiscal control of social services programs and support continuing efforts to reduce administrative costs and eliminate fraud in health and welfare programs, thereby increasing the availability of direct client benefits.
Human Life
We affirm our belief in traditional family values and support the preservation of innocent human life at every stage of life beginning at conception. In concert with this belief:
1) We support efforts to provide parental notification and consent, and informed consent in all cases involving abortion;
2) We support those individuals and organizations seeking to provide positive alternatives to abortion by meeting the physical, emotional, educational, and financial needs of pregnant women;
3) We oppose assisted suicide;
4) We oppose partial birth abortion;
5) We support a moratorium on human cloning for any purpose; and
6) We support non-embryonic stem cell research.
Health Care
We support programs to improve human service delivery; especially those that have private grant participation. We support the interaction and sharing of information and resources by departments charged with the delivery of services to children and families.
We support patients' maximum freedom of choice of health care providers and the type of care desired. We recognize the need for basic health care coverage for all Montanans, but also believe the choice between private and public health plans should be available.
We support strengthening community mental health programs at an affordable cost to all. Community-based services now being designed should be strengthened in order to help persons severely disabled by mental illness to achieve independence in the areas of employment, living arrangements, and social relationships.
Society and the government are faced with drawing the line on increased spending. This challenge will force consideration of limitations and priorities in our health care system. We support the use of nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants, supervised by qualified physicians, especially in rural areas without health care within a reasonable distance. We believe that linking hospitals in larger communities with health care facilities in smaller communities through an advanced communications network would partially address these difficulties. We also support consideration of tax credits, low-cost equipment loans, and rural care residency programs for licensed health care providers to encourage their settlement in rural areas.
We encourage incentives for licensed health care providers that choose to serve in rural and underserved areas.
We support the encouragement of young persons to explore the possibility of pursuing health care occupations in Montana.
Care for the Elderly
Many small communities in Montana maintain nursing homes providing local care for senior citizens. We support the availability of programs such as assisted living home health care and other programs that allow people to live in their own homes and communities. We support the concept of local medical care, especially home health care and hospice services, making it possible for older people to remain in their home or community near family and friends. We support the use of modern communications technology that would enable health care providers to monitor vital data without being physically present. A centralization of these services, solely into regional centers, may not provide sufficient care for those who must leave their homes and communities. We urge the examination of an increased role for the family in these responsibilities and welcome the development of incentives to encourage family members to care for each other.
Handicapped Care
We support home and community-based living arrangements, work opportunities, and basic services to assist the disabled in attaining a higher level of independent living. We encourage continued efforts to assist families in caring for the disabled in the family setting. We recognize that good institutional care should be available when needed. We believe independent living can be greatly enhanced by a modern telecommunications system capable of two-way interaction. We support programs that give greater opportunity for special needs individuals, such as the Special Olympics.
Services to Children and Youth
We are fully committed to the needs of traumatized children and other children at risk. We support crisis efforts to remedy substance abuse and to correct family dysfunction. We commend and support those families providing foster homes to children in need and encourage efforts toward successful, stabilizing placements. We also support policies that facilitate adoption.
We support maximizing the efficient use of public and private funding through improved communication and cooperation in order to ensure that children and youth who are victims of neglect and/or physical, sexual, and emotional abuse receive care and treatment appropriate to their individual needs.
We support interagency planning, collaboration and coordination of the entire continuum of treatment services (family-based, community-based) tailored to the individual needs of children, adolescents and their families.
We support corrective programs for juveniles designed to give judges and law enforcement personnel an alternative to incarceration in order to make youth and their parents accountable and responsible for their actions. We encourage timely, effective communication and coordination among law enforcement officials, the community, parents, and youth to prevent criminal activities and encourage good citizenship among young people.
We support social policies and services that preserve and strengthen the traditional family unit. We support inter-agency planning, collaboration, and coordination to maximize the use of family-based and community-based services tailored to the needs of children, adolescents and their families.
General Public Safety and Human Services Issues
We will work to provide wholesome living, learning, and working conditions free from the fear of mental, physical, and emotional abuse while guarding against intrusive government regulation.
We strongly support the activities of citizens and law enforcement agencies in their efforts to eliminate illegal traffic and manufacturing of narcotics and dangerous drugs.
We strongly support the elimination of underage tobacco and alcohol use.
We support activities intended to eliminate drivers on our highways and waterways who are under the influence of drugs and or alcohol.
We support security, as needed at every correctional facility for the benefit of the general public, the inmates, and the staff. We support the use of rehabilitative work and training programs that are appropriate to the records and behavior of the prisoners.
We support stricter standards for the release, monitoring, and notification of local law enforcement, victims and the community at large before inmates go before a parole hearing or are discharged from institutional care.
We support the reasonable enforcement of child support collection laws.
We support abstinence education as the most effective and humane means of birth control.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Preamble
The Montana Republican Party supports efforts to return control and authority to local government.
Funding
We believe all levels of government are responsible for funding their own programs. No level of government should assign responsibilities or programs to lower levels or subdivisions of government unless funding for those responsibilities and programs is also provided.