State of Montana Archives: on Corporations


Greg Gianforte: Voted to roll back Dodd-Frank bank regulations

Q: Tighten or loosen regulation of banks and credit card companies?

Greg Gianforte: Loosen. Voted to roll back Dodd-Frank bank regulations, which opponents said disadvantaged smaller banks.

Mike Cooney: Maintain or tighten. Criticized Gianforte's vote for "rolling back financial regulations on large financial institutions."

Source: CampusElect survey on 2020 Montana Gubernatorial race Nov 3, 2020

Mike Cooney: Opposes rolling back financial regulations

Q: On FINANCIAL REGULATION: Tighten or loosen regulation of banks and credit card companies?

Mike Cooney: Maintain or tighten. Criticized Gianforte's vote for "rolling back financial regulations on large financial institutions."

Greg Gianforte: Loosen. Voted to roll back Dodd-Frank bank regulations, which opponents said disadvantaged smaller banks.

Source: CampusElect survey on 2020 Montana Gubernatorial race Nov 3, 2020

Steve Bullock: Hold big banks accountable for abusive practices

Q: Tighten or loosen regulation of banks and credit card companies?

Steve Bullock: Tighten. "I took on the big banks." Supports "holding the big banks and servicers accountable for abusive practices."

Steve Daines: Loosen. Voted to loosen Dodd-Frank banking rules he saw as "crippling" small local banks. Sponsored bill to reduce autonomy of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Source: CampusElect on 2020 Montana Senate race Oct 10, 2020

Steve Bullock: Defended state limit on corporate campaign donations

During his first run for governor he made national headlines arguing that Montana's century-old limits on corporate campaign donations should be exempted from the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling. He lost the case, but the public viewed him as a champion for local elections threatened by private corruption and federal ineptitude.
Source: The Nation magazine on 2020 Montana Senate race Jul 6, 2020

Tim Fox: Disallow price gouging during coronavirus pandemic

Montana Attorney General Tim Fox and his colleagues are warning large online retailers to make sure none of their resellers are "price gouging" by overpricing critical items during the COVID-19 shutdowns.

They're calling for Amazon, Walmart and others to put a stop to practices where items like bottles of hand sanitizer have been going for hundreds of dollars but at the same time, the Attorneys Generals are also concerned about practices that could take advantage of rural producers.

Source: KPAX-8 Missoula on 2020 Montana gubernatorial race Mar 26, 2020

Tim Fox: Make estate tax exemption permanent; protect family farms

While calling for lean operations, Fox said government has a role in keeping communities strong through a well-funded public education system and stable local hospitals. He also used an example of wanting to make an estate tax exemption permanent so families can "protect and preserve family-owned farms and ranches" by handing them off to the next generation.
Source: Helena Independent Record on 2020 Montana governor debate Nov 26, 2019

Steve Bullock: Cut red tape and cut business equipment tax

Business is booming, and it's no surprise. Since 2013 we've repealed or revised hundreds of regulations and removed red tape. We cut the business equipment tax for every Montana business, and eliminated it for two-thirds of the businesses operating in the state.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Montana legislature Jan 31, 2019

Matt Rosendale: New tax law changes depreciation rules to allow expansion

Senate candidate Matt Rosendale toured a small business in Missoula to tout the benefits of the federal tax reform bill passed by Congress in December and accuse his opponent of standing in the way of President Donald Trump's agenda.

At Anchor Electric, Rosendale reported that the company owner told him that the tax reform package allowed him to expand his businesses and hire about 10 additional employees. "They've acquired another firm and now he plans to take advantage of additional parts of the tax reform package that allow small businesses to make capital investments and expense that out over one year instead of having to depreciate it out over several years," Rosendale said.

Rosendale said he's seen reports that there are hundreds of thousands of new manufacturing jobs in the U.S. because of the tax reform package. "That's one of the things that Jon Tester has voted against in opposition to the desires of the people of Montana," Rosendale said.

Source: The Missoulian on 2018 Montana Senate race Aug 9, 2018

Albert Olszewski: Federal regulations get in the way of small business

As an independent orthopedic surgeon, federal regulations were making it increasingly difficult for him to care for his patients. He realized similar burdensome regulations were making it just as difficult for his patients to care for and provide for their families.
Source: 2018 Montana Senate campaign website AlForSenate.us Aug 8, 2017

Greg Gianforte: BootStrapping for Businesses: mentors entrepreneurs

Proven Job Creator: Greg is the Founder & former CEO of RightNow Technologies. He created hundreds of jobs in Bozeman, Montana with an average salary near $90,000 a year. Greg is the author of "BootStrapping for Businesses", which he uses to mentor entrepreneurs. He chairs the MT High Tech Business Alliance. Through his career, Greg founded five start-ups, creating jobs for over 1,200 people. Not a Government Insider: Greg spent his entire career creating jobs in the private sector. His first business was at age 14, mowing lawns. Recently, he launched Better Montana Jobs in order to lift Montana up from the trenches of being 49th in the nation in wages.

Recently, Greg was inducted into the Montana Business Hall of Fame at MSU-Billings. In addition to founding RightNow Technologies, he is the Managing Director of Bozeman Technology Incubator.

Source: 2016 Montana governor's campaign website GregForMontana.com Feb 3, 2016

Amanda Curtis: Wall St. is doing great; recovery hasn't reached rest of us

Curtis appealed to working-class voters and portrayed Daines as being in the camp of corporations and the wealthy. She said her Senate campaign would focus on issues that include campaign finance reform, tax reform and funding for schools and infrastructure that would create jobs. "This is the worst job market in a generation, but the stock market is doing just fine. Wall Street is doing great," Curtis said. "This recovery has not reached the rest of us."
Source: Helena Independent Record on 2014 Montana Senate race Aug 16, 2014

Sam Rankin: End tax subsidies; & tax corporations in foreign countries

Source: 2014 Montana Senate campaign website, SamRankin.com Jul 27, 2014

Steve Bullock: State colleges will offer certificates for needed job skills

A company recently came to the state of Montana and said they'd like to locate a manufacturing facility in Great Falls, but they needed a workforce ready for the high-tech welding and fitting they do. These high-paying jobs are exactly the kind that Montana should be attracting. That's why we've already been working with Great Falls College. They will begin training workers to fill these jobs, and this company is now committed to investing in the Electric City.

As part of this new program, we'll also ensure that students at the high schools in Great Falls can graduate with the certificates that will make them attractive candidates for these great jobs. Not only is that better jobs, but it's better schools, too.

Source: 2013 State of the State Address to Montana legislature Jan 30, 2013

Jon Tester: Prevent abuses by "too-big-to-fail" banks on Wall Street

Rehberg said, "As the government grows bigger, we lose our freedoms and our opportunities," referring to the heavy-handedness of the EPA and Dodd-Frank banking regulations that have hindered local lending and economic development.

Earlier in the debate, Tester defended the Dodd-Frank legislation as being important to prevent abuses from "too-big-to-fail" financial institutions on Wall Street. The legislation put "more cops on the beat to make sure Wall Street won't do it again."

Source: Daily Inter Lake on 2012 Montana Senate debates Oct 14, 2012

Jon Tester: Citizens United puts democracy at risk

Stark disagreement over the Citizens United campaign finance ruling highlighted Montana's first U.S. Senate debate on Saturday, as Republican challenger Denny Rehberg defended the Supreme Court decision as vital to free speech.

Incumbent Democrat Jon Tester responded that the widely criticized ruling puts democracy at risk by giving corporations more power than people. The Supreme Court ruling undid past restrictions on political spending by corporations and special interest groups.

Rehberg said he supported the 2010 ruling, although he added that there should be full transparency on where campaign money is coming from. "There should be nothing more free than political free speech," he said.

Tester responded that "corporations are not people. Because of Citizens United, corporations have more rights when it comes to donations than people do," he said.

Source: New England Cable News on 2012 Montana Senate debate Jun 16, 2012

Conrad Burns: Marketplace will force us into conservation and renewables

TESTER: We can talk about bio-fuels and renewables and wind energy-we did a lot of things in the last session to help promote those. But what we need back in Washington is leadership, to help this industry grow. These renewables will create jobs in regions of the state that most need employment, and put more energy no the marketplace for the citizenry of this state. And from a homeland security standpoint, it helps balance our trade deficit instead if shipping it across to the Middle East. Our energy policy right now was pretty much written by multinational oil companies. Sen. Burns took more money from oil companies except for those in Texas.

BURNS: The incentives for alternative fuels & renewable fuels are just like any other incentive to increase production, & that’s exactly what is happening, because of the competition in the market. We would not have had those big windmills if not for [the recent] energy bill. It is the marketplace that will force us into conservation and renewables.

Source: 2006 Montana 3-way Senate Debate at MSU (x-ref Tester) Oct 9, 2006

Jon Tester: Energy plan was written by oil companies, so no renewables

TESTER: We can talk about bio-fuels and renewables and wind energy-we did a lot of things in the last session to help promote those. But what we need back in Washington is leadership, to help this industry grow. These renewables will create jobs in regions of the state that most need employment, and put more energy no the marketplace for the citizenry of this state. And from a homeland security standpoint, it helps balance our trade deficit instead if shipping it across to the Middle East. Our energy policy right now was pretty much written by multinational oil companies. Sen. Burns took more money from oil companies except for those in Texas.

BURNS: The incentives for alternative fuels & renewable fuels are just like any other incentive to increase production, & that’s exactly what is happening, because of the competition in the market. We would not have had those big windmills if not for [the recent] energy bill. It is the marketplace that will force us into conservation and renewables.

Source: 2006 Montana 3-way Senate Debate at MSU Oct 9, 2006

  • The above quotations are from State of Montana Politicians: Archives.
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2020 Presidential contenders on Corporations:
  Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN)
Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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