Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and his Lieutenant Governor Kristin Juras held a joint press conference on Thursday at the State Capitol to tout their progress with the Red Tape Relief Task Force.

Gianforte turned the podium over to Juras who said she has had years of experience as a private attorney helping clients cut through business and governmental red tape.

Eliminating Unnecessary Red Tape is a Priority for Gianforte and Juras

“I am excited to share about this,” began Juras. “As an attorney for over 40 years I was familiar with representing farmers, ranchers and small business owners who have burdens that they face and the costs they face when they run into unnecessary, outdated or inefficient regulations. There actually is a law on the books that requires agencies to review the regulations every two years. And quite frankly, it hasn't been done.”

Juras provided several examples of outdated policies that had been causing the wheels of government to grind to a screeching halt, starting with one highly unusual regulation from the Montana State DNRC.

One Example Involved the DNRC and an Outdated Policy

“First of all internal policies,” she said. “One of the things that the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation did was remove the outdated internal policy of literally having to appear on the steps of the Capitol to bid for oil and gas leases on trust lands and instead make it an online process which generated a million dollars in funds for the taxpayers when that was first happening.”

Juras also referenced a policy that Governor Gianforte lobbied hard for during the last election season regarding the building trades.

“From a regulatory standpoint, one of the first things that was eliminated was a rule that required two journeymen for each apprentice and some in our trades was flipped,” she said. “So now that one journeyman now could work with two apprentices and you've seen how that has tripled the apprenticeships in the state of Montana.”

Juras Also had a Run-in with the 'Huckster Law' in Great Falls

One humorous example Juras shared with the media involved her own children and a school fundraising project.

“My sons in Great Falls were required to sell fruit door to door to raise funds for their band and choir activities,” she said. “And as their mom, I’m an attorney, and I did not realize they were violating the ‘Huckster Law’. They were required to sell fruit that they didn't raise door to door and they needed to obtain a license from the county treasurer to be able to sell fruit door to door. So just for fun, once I became aware of this law as part of this regulatory reform project, I called the county treasurer and asked if we could get a Hucksters license. Dead silence.”

Gianforte said as a result of the task force’s work, the Montana Legislature is currently considering over 170 red tape relief bills, many of which have already passed the House or Senate.

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