Issue Position: Jobs & The Economy

Issue Position

-HD3 is uniquely situated: it covers the western half of Glacier National Park and the "gateway communities" west of the Continental Divide. Our district also includes large stretches of Flathead National Forest as well as all three forks of the Wild and Scenic Flathead River. This landscape provides us with a wonderful quality of life--and fuels our local economy.
-Our beautiful scenery and abundant fish and wildlife populations help drive our local economy by attracting tourists--and are instrumental in attracting new businesses and residents. Therefore, we need to protect this natural wonderland to ensure our economic well-being.
-While outdoor recreation and tourism are the two main drivers of the HD3 economy, we also have a working landscape that supports farming and forestry. It is important that we maximize a sustainable local farming and forestry economy by supporting related value-added businesses, including mills and farm-to-market enterprises.
-COVID-19 has hit our businesses hard and until we have a vaccine, it will continue to have a negative impact. As a legislator, I will do everything that I can to help our businesses flourish again and keep workplaces safe for employees. This will require government and private business working together to create safe working environments, reasonable rules to prevent disease, and support for the innovation required to create and sustain the quality jobs necessary for a healthy economy.

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