Shannon Maness

Education

Two more issues related to education are Charter Schools and Trade Schools. Both types of schools are important to education in Montana. Charter schools will provide more options to families in choosing an education path, and I will support efforts to continue to provide these options. In Montana, we are in desperate need of employees in the trades. And are in short supply of plumbers, electricians, and repair workers. These are well-paying fields of work that don’t require traditional four-year degrees. As your representative, I will support efforts by our colleges and universities to provide training to help fill these voids. This will provide a career path for young adults, fill employment vacancies, and help our next generation be able to stay in Montana and make a living. Learn more

Environment / Energy

I have an opportunity to advocate for vigorous forest management through tree harvesting and grazing (agricultural activity on the USDA forest lands), which provides wholesome food and fiber for Americans, and importantly, reduces forest floor fuel load, for sound, economically effective, property and life-saving forest fire suppression strategies. Learn more

I have an opportunity to encourage global market opportunities for Montana commodities. In fact, history shows that diplomacy excursions for U.S. Agricultural commodities by state officials is highly productive for developing markets internationally. Learn more

I have an opportunity to address the ever-present balance of water use in Montana and to protect, conserve and store this essential agricultural resource as populations concentrate in towns and cities, as more homes are constructed and wells are drilled on small acreages, as agricultural holdings become smaller, and as water supply remains variable through regular precipitation-drought cycles. Learn more

Guns

With rights come responsibility. Encouraging responsible gun use through successful education programs such as 4-H shooting sports is one way we can help our citizenry help itself. As your Montana state representative, I will aways advocate for firearm safety and training opportunities. I will advocate for robust law enforcement. And I will remain ready to defend our second amendment right. Learn more

Healthcare

Personal responsibility is one of the greatest determinants of health. We are one of the unhealthiest societies that has ever existed. People are the least active and mobile that they have ever been but are consuming more calories and processed foods. This in turn leads to an unhealthy population and obvious increases in healthcare costs. We now see people visiting the doctor’s office for every sniffle and cough. We have created a culture of irresponsibility in this area because there are no costs incurred for the medical care. Poor lifestyle choices by some shouldn’t cause the costs of healthcare for everyone else to increase because of federal policies. We are still blessed in this country with personal choice, and I support that, but eventually that comes with a cost. If you choose to engage in unhealthy lifestyle choices and not take care of yourself, then it isn’t someone else’s job to pay for your care later in life. Learn more

Healthcare is not a right. Learn more

Meanwhile, as your state representative, I will look at the numbers and the pros and cons to help our state make the best decisions possible to protect our most vulnerable. Also, we must look at our hospitals and be able to keep them solvent. If someone goes to the hospital for care and has no insurance or ability to pay, the hospital will still treat the person but then receive no payment. The only option for the hospital is to either take a loss or pass that cost on to the next person who does pay or has insurance. Neither of these options is a viable long-term solution. Learn more

Taxes / Budget

As a lifelong conservative with a minor in agricultural economics, I believe we must manage the state’s people’s purse as if it sits in own households. Our job as legislators is to work with the governor to make sound decisions regarding appropriation of funds, and I will endeavor to work with my fellow house colleagues to do just that. My goal is to carefully assess funding in light of our state’s constitution, and vote against monies designated toward programs that are not constitutionally mandated. If we are appropriating the people’s money toward a constitutionally mandated program, I will strive to ensure that the stewards of those dollars are making economically sound decisions on how they use them. Learn more