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Had some great meetings this week with Senator Daines, local legislators, County Commissioners, and community leaders from schools, chambers, hospitals, sheriffs, and lumber mills in Sanders and Mineral Counties. There are some GREAT things happening in our economy and some tough things yet to tackle. Some really good ideas for improvements surfaced. Appreciate all the good people rolling up their sleeves and working hard to make things better for our communities!!!
Since Montana legislature doesn’t meet this year, I have been focusing efforts to advance freedom and restore justice via the long halls of WA DC.
There is a noticeable improvement in dealing with federal agencies this year compared to years past, but it is still a grind getting anything done in Washington DC. 
Western women are ready to roll at General Session of Republican National Committee today in Washington DC!
A Quiet New Years Day & Chocolate Cream Birthday Pie!
After 18 years of trying to convert me to a carrot cake fan, Paul finally tried something ‘different’ this year. It was a nice, quiet New Years
Day/Birthday at home, which was a welcome reprieve from all the meetings and travel this past year. But when I logged on tonight I was blown away by all the Birthday wishes! You guys are awesome! Hope your New Year is awesome too!!!! 
Blessed…
We were blessed to attend a very special Christmas party at the White House this year! PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: My son, my husband, the First Lady,
President Trump, and yours truly. What an honor it was to meet our great President & Mrs.
Trump! #MAGA! 
We did it! Praise be to God, the Montana Republicans worked hard, stood strong, stuck together, and solved the budget shortfall WITHOUT raising taxes!
The hard working Rep. Bob Brown catches a few winks during a short recess in the House of Representives. Republicans have been working around the clock since being called into Special Session Monday to solve our state budget deficit. We are almost there!
House Democrats “stamp their feet”, but why? Here’s the back story: To help cover the $227 million budget shortfall, the governor proposed $77 million in specific cuts within State agencies and posted his list of cuts on his web site. The Republicans did not change his list (we are working on additional solutions to find savings, make transfers and supplement the governor’s cut list). But we did introduce legislation to place his cut list into the budget bill so it is recorded in law which allows us to track it and ensure the governor can’t reshuffle the money after the legislature leaves town. Democrat floor leaders in the House got mad about that and stood up and opposed the bill (HB2), claiming this “terrible” list of cuts (that their own governor made days ago) was not the governor’s list, was so brand new to them they hadn’t even seen it, and refused to vote for it. Actually, it is indeed the governor’s list, it was made known to them days — possibly even weeks ago — but in tr
Intense math happening now in Special Session.
Senators discuss options for how to fill a projected $227 million hole in the state budget. It looks like the current proposal could have the
governor find $77 million in savings within state agencies by making cuts, $90 million could be transferred from over-funded state special revenue accounts, and we have various pieces of legislation moving through hearings and floor votes to find $60 million to rebuild the fund for wildfire
fighting which was depleted last summer. To come up with that $60 million for the fire fund some ideas floating around include extending the Civic Core contract with Shelby Prison (net gain of $32 million), reducing the soon to be closed Montana State Development Center budget, giving State Employees a 1 day furlough, changing liquor licenses from a lotteey to an auction system, possibly repealing some tax credits, implementing a 2% tax on non profit health insurance companies that are not paying taxes now, and collecting a management fee from the State Fund. After the governor failed to solve the problem over the last 4 months, he called the legislature into an emergency sepecial session this week. We are working hard to find a
workable balance as soon as possible and I think we are getting close.
Prayers would be appreciated! 
