The City Council usually sets its legislative priorities before each legislative session. The 2019 session will begin on January 7 and is expected to end on May 1. Setting priorities helps the City's lobbyist, Greg Dorrington with Crowley and Fleck, staff and Council members as they are asked to respond to legislation being planned or after it is introduced.  The anticipated legislative issues were  discussed with the Council and staff on November 28. The legislative priorities are broader policy statements that encompass the issues that Council discussed and ones that will probably surface during the session. Greg Dorrington will be available throughout the legislative session, either by phone or in person, to discuss specific bills and what positions the Council would like to take on them. One of the policy statements is to support, where possible, our local partners' legislative platforms. The suggested legislative priorities will be provided in the Friday packet.
 

City Council may:

• Approve the 2019 legislative priorities or;
• Modify and approve the priorities, or;
• Disapprove the priorities. This will hamper Greg Dorrington's effectiveness because he won't have the broad policy guidance that allows him to work with our Legislators as they propose legislation and attempt to understand how legislation affects the City.

The policies do not have a direct financial impact. The FY 2019 Legislative lobbying budget is $40,000. The Legislature's actions can cost or benefit the City of Billings millions of dollars per year.
 

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the City of Billings 2019 Legislative Priorities.