The Missoulian from Missoula, Montana • 14

B-2-Missoulian, Sunday, February 14, 1993 MONTANA Legislative KM J1993U very dangerous, Chief of Detectives John Walsh said. Associated Press Teen-ager killed by shotgun blast HELENA A 16-year-old Helena boy remained in custody Saturday as authorities continued investigating the shotgun shooting of 13-year-old William Weasel Boy, Lewis and Clark County Attorney Mike McGrath said. The victim was shot once in the face at close range with a 20-gauge shotgun Friday evening, officials said. McGrath said there were other people in the house at the time but it appeared the victim and his alleged assailant were by themselves when the shooting occurred. The older boy, who was not identified, remained in custody without bond.

McGrath said no charges have been filed but the incident was being investigated as a possible murder. McGrath said both of the boys "have been involved with the system." The dead boy's body was sent to Missoula for an autopsy at the State Crime Laboratory. Associated Press Butte pursues arson suspect BUTTE Officials charged Monte Boston of Butte Saturday with three of Butte's year-long string of arson cases, then discovered that Boston had fled on Friday. They issued a statewide bulletin alerting law enforcement agencies to watch for him. Police announced Saturday morning that Boston was being charged with three counts of arson, two counts of burglary and one count of theft.

"We believe that he was responsible for the arson at NCAT (National Center for Appropriate Technology), the Mormon Church, the arson and burglary at the parole office, as well as the burglary at the Bellevue Dental Office, and a theft from Sun Rental," said Butte-Silver Bow Sheriff John McPherson. Boston, 36, had been charged earlier in thotweek with the burglary of the Union Bus Depot, but was released on bail. It was that case that led police to believe that he may have been involved in the Mormon church fire. Police said they had found a cache of guns, cash, jewelry and other items in a garage that Boston was renting. He is considered armed and i 1 it I GOV.

MARC RACICOT gets tips on food preparation from shop steward Charlotte Mulske during his kitchen shift at Warm Springs hospital on Saturday. Kitchen check State's top official pulls duty pay at lowest rung The family of Harold M. Hopper wants to express our sincere appreciation to everyone who supported us in loss of our loved one. Many 1 thanks for cards, flowers, memorials, phone calls, food Ws anci fnr visits nt hnms rind th Villnnfi Henlth Core Center. A special thank you to Dr.

Judy Schmidt and staff, Dr. John Smith and staff, Dr. Roger Munro and staff, Dr. uui nei nui ieu 1 1 ui iu siuii, unu 01. rumor.

nuaiiui.j Your support will always be remembered. chicken strips. Racicot was invited to work by the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union Local 427. Union members wanted to show the governor just how difficult their jobs were. The union is currently looking to upgrade job descriptions.

An upgrade would guarantee a pay increase for the Warm Springs workers, who are the lowest paid employees on the state payroll. "Maybe he can understand how hard it is to get by," said Charlotte Mulske, shop steward for the union. "When you earn less than $6 per hour, you are still below the poverty line." WARM SPRINGS (AP) Gov. Marc Racicot worked a five-hour shift Saturday at the Warm Springs campus of the Montana State Hospital, his sleeves rolled to his elbows and rubher gloves on his hands; In a white kitchen uniform, Racicot spent the day preparing and serving meals to patients and talking with employees about their concerns. Racicot was paid $29.35, which netted him $15.60 after taxes and benefits were withheld.

"It was real hard work," Racicot said. "But I enjoyed it. The people in the kitchen were awfully nice." His jobs included washing pots, reviewing patient diet cards, preparing roast beef and serving SUPER GOOD CENTS BUILDER TRAINING SESSION Learn the Latest Techniques for Building Energy-Efficient Homes Open to the Public $5 Admission Fee Registration begins at 8:15 a.m. at the door Lobbyists express dismay but most dismiss incident5 Mrs. Fay Hopper and the Hopper Family Meals, Housekeeping Services and Social Activities 24-Hour Supervision by Assisted Living Attendant Unit Available I.Kt'iisi't! by iht? Slfllc nf MonlnnA Union members heard a bill to end compulsory union membership in the state failed Saturday after union members packed a Senate hearing and told legislators not to weaken Montana's working class.

The Senate Labor and Employment Relations Committee voted 4-3 against the so-called right to work bill sponsored by Sen. Thomas Keating, a Billings Republican and committee member. The motion to defeat the bill came from a union railroad worker, Democratic Sen. Bill Wilson of Great Falls. The committee voted after hearing nearly two hours of testimony on Senate Bill 212.

Supporters said workers would retain the right to join unions voluntarily, and that the measure gave good unions nothing to fear. Opponents said the bill would weaken the labor movement, partly by opening the way for people to avail themselves of union-negotiated pay and benefits without paying union dues. Forty-two people, mostly opponents, testified at the hearing, which followed a union rally in the Capitol rotunda. Unicameral idea bombs a proposal for Montana to switch to a one-house legislature failed to make it through even one house Saturday. Rep.

Mike Kadas, D-Missoula, had proposed a constitutional amendment under which the Montana Legislature would consist of a single house of 100 members. Mike Kadas But the House rejected the idea, voting 60-39 against it. Kadas said the familiar House-Senate system does more harm than good and should be scrapped. His House Bill 126 would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment under which Montana would join Nebraska as the only two states with a unicameral system. With two houses, control is usually split between the political parties and the majority in one chamber routinely kills bills passed by the opposing party controlling the other house, Kadas said.

As an added benefit, Kadas said, a unicameral could save $1 .7 million every two years. But opponents said it is desirable to have one house checking and reviewing the actions of the other. House OICs cult restrictions A bill to outlaw the use of children in satanic cult rituals was endorsed Saturday by the Montana House. The bill by Rep. Marjorie Fisher, R-Whitefish, forbids involving children in such activities as drinking blood, eating human flesh, sacrificing animals, and mutilation or burning human corpses.

Fisher said satanic cults routinely use children in horrific rituals, and Montana should outlaw the practice. She said House Bill 405 is patterned after an Idaho law. A first conviction has a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, and a subsequent offense could mean a life sentence. The House, with no discussion, voted 93-5 in favor. The bill will come up for a final House vote before it can be sent to the Senate.

Buffalo hunting debated Buffalo hunting in Montana could be revived in 1995 under a bill the slate Senate endorsed Saturday. Senate Bill 200 would establish hunting as a way to control bison that wander from Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service and other agencies are considering various options for herd control as they develop a buffalo management plan. Buffalo hunting in Montana was outlawed in 1991, and since that time, game wardens have shot some of the bison that wander from the park. There is concern the animals will infect cattle with the disease brucellosis.

On Saturday, senators gave the hunting bill preliminary approval. The measure sponsored by Sen. Don Bianchi, D-Belgrado, is expected to receive another Senate vote this week and will be forwarded to the House if approved at that time. The Associated Press I I -Ar YOUR HOUSE PAYMENT COULD BE LOWER! If you have an FHA or VA mortgage loan, you could refinance at a lower rate with no credit check no appraisal no out-of-pocket costs For details, call Joanna at 1-800-280-8200 Mountain States Mortgage Centers, Inc. Associated Press from the Legislative Fiscal Analyst's current-level budget.

It revised the allocations of these cuts several times. WELFARE Local government officials turned out to oppose a HB427, by Rep. John Cobb, R-Augusta, which would shift the entire welfare program costs to 12 of the most populous counties. The state now picks up the costs of welfare in these counties beyond the 12 mills levied for the local county poor funds. Lawmakers are considering the shift, which would save the state $23 million annually.

WORKERS COMP. The House Select Committee on Workers Compensation took up two controversial bills by Rep. Steve Benedict, R-Hamilton, but took no immediate action. HB456 would allow the governor to negotiate for a private takeover of the financially troubled "old fund" of the state Workers' Compensation program. The other measure, HB504, would impose a payroll tax of 1 percent on both employees and employers to help finance the buyout.

COMING THIS WEEK: With the 45-day transmittal deadline approaching, lawmakers face a busy schedule of committee hearings and floor action this week. All bills except taxation and appropriations measures must be passed from one house to the other by the 45th day, Feb. 24, or they automatically die. Here are some of the bills coming up for hearing this week: CABLE TV The House Business Committee on Monday will hear House Bill 556, by Rep. Fred "Fritz" Daily, which allows state and local governments to regulate cable TV.

HOUSING The House Human Services Committee Monday will consider IIB581, by Rep. Sheila Rice, D-Grcat Falls, to create a state housing task force to look into the housing shortage and recommend solutions to the 1995 Legislature. MOTORCYCLE HELMETS On Thursday, the Senate I Iighways Committee will take up SB365, by Sen. Bob Brown, R-Whitcfish, to require all people riding motorcycles, not just minors, to wear helmets. CIGARETTE TAX The Senate Public Health Committee plans a hearing Friday on SB305, by Sen.

Terry Klampe, D-Flor-ence, to double the tax on all tobacco products and use the proceeds for health-care programs. HILLSIDE PLACE ASSISTED LIVING Hillside Place 4720V2 23rd Avenue Missoula, MT 59803 Connie Thisselle. Director 251-5100 Tuesday action prohibited Jensen from entering the House and Senate chambers or any committee hearings for a week. Jensen was punished for allegedly threatening Sen. Henry McClernan over a mining bill the Butte Democrat is sponsoring.

Jensen has denied his behavior was threatening and MEIC is considering suing the Legislature on his behalf. McClernan described the Feb. 4 encounter to the Joint Rules Committee Tuesday. McClernan said Jensen "told me that he would go after me personally and professionally if I persisted with introducing the bill." McClernan said Jensen's statements made him feel "threatened and intimidated." Jensen has apologized to McClernan and said he did not realize at the time the senator would consider the comments inappropriate. John Lahr, a long-time lobbyist for the Montana Power didn't make much of the situation.

"It's an isolated instance something you won't see happen again in a long time," he said. Russ Ritter, lobbyist for Washington agreed, saying "most lobbyists certainly observe a decorum beneficial to the body politic." ALSO LAST WEEK: SALES TAX The Senate killed SB2lJ9 by Minority Leader Bruce Crippcn, R-Billings, to enact a sales tax and delay a vote on whether to keep it until No- vembcr 1994. Other sales-tax proposals have called for voting on the tax before it is put in place. The Senate Taxation Committee heard another sales-tax proposal, SB283 by Sen. Mignon Waterman, D-IIclcna, which it hopes to work on in conjunction with a separate Crippcn bill, SB235, embracing Gov.

Marc Ra-cicot's 4 percent sales tax, subject to voter approval before it is implemented. There also were indications Senate Republicans want to move the planned vote on the tax reform package to November 1993 instead of June 1993. That angered Senate President Fred Van Valkcnburg, D-Missoula, who said it ran contrary to Racicot's pledges during the campaign to have the sales tax vote as early as possible. I HIGHER ED FUNDING An appropriations subcommittee last week cut $22.7 million from the six colleges and universities Legislative in Review EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a weekly analysis and review of what happened at the 1993 Legislature over the past week and a look at what's coming up this week. By DAVID FENNER and CHARLES S.

JOHNSON Missoulian Slate Bureau HELENA As lawmakers slashed programs and evaluated the merits and flaws of monumental tax reform proposals the past two weeks, the story grabbing center stage involved a lobbyist. Jim Jensen, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, was suspended for a week Tuesday based on accusations he threatened a state senator the week before. Some lobbyists say what's become known as "the Jensen incident" has exposed flaws in the system and has had a chilling effect on lobbyists. "What's the line?" said Stan Bradshaw, lobbyist for Montana Trout Unlimited and a frequent ally of Jensen's. "There are no guidelines here." Others say the system works fine.

They say the Jensen incident was an unfortunate, but probably isolated, occurrence that they hope doesn't prompt rules of conduct for lobbyists. None of the lobbyists questioned last week recalled another lobbyist ever having been punished for inappropriate conduct. The Joint Rules Committee's i zl You can stop smoking without gaining weight. Here's How: Use of nicotine patch gum Weekly educational classes 8 weeks Long-term maintenance phase Skills to prevent weight gain Achievable lifestyle changes to remain a non-smoker According to a study, 82 of the patient sample who completed the 11 MR Program were not smoking an average of three years later. Attend Our Next Free Orientation: DATE: February 16, 1993 TIME: 7 P.M.

PLACE: Providence Center, St. Patrick Hospital 721-3146 PSt.PatrickHospital.