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Accomplishments & Public Service |
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CIVIC AFFAIRS:
GOVERNMENTAL APPOINTMENTS MONTANA COMMUNITY SERVICE Helena YMCA, Board of Directors · 1984 - 1986 Legislative Practice - Mr. Browning's primary focus in his law practice, before he retired as a shareholder and founding member of the firm, was on legislative and public affairs. While he was active in lobbying matters, Browning was registered as a lobbyist both with Congress and the Montana legislature. Mr. Browning also represented corporate and non-profit clients on other public affairs matters. Legislative Representation - Listed below are examples of Mr. Browning's legislative efforts on behalf of various clients before the U.S. Congress and the Montana Legislature. Appropriations: 1. McLaughlin Research Institute - Successfully lobbied Congress to appropriate construction funds for a research facility in Great Falls (1991). 2. Mansfield Center for Pacific Affairs - Successfully lobbied legislation to protect the availability of state funds for a conference center in Lake County, Montana. 3. Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center - Successfully lobbied Congress to obtain a matching appropriation for the construction of the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. 4. Highways - On behalf of two rural Montana counties, Mr. Browning successfully lobbied legislation to allow the Montana State highway that served the two counties to receive a higher level of road maintenance by the state. Commercial & Banking Legislation: 1. Credit Bureau Association - Successfully opposed changes proposed in 1999 to the Montana laws dealing with credit reporting. 2. Bank Merger and Consolidation - Successfully lobbied enactment of bank consolidation and merger laws (see 32-1-371 MCA) following an eight-year effort to permit out-of-state bank holding companies to merge banks in Montana. 3. Branch Banking and Detached Facilities - Successfully lobbied enactment of laws allowing both expanded branch banking and construction of additional detached banking facilities (see 32-1-372 MCA) following a six-year lobbying effort. 4. Interstate Banking - Successfully lobbied amendments to Montana's banking code permitting out-of-state banks to acquire in-state banks and bank holding companies (see 32-1-383 MCA) following a six-year lobbying effort. 5. Opt-Out Legislation - Successfully lobbied the defeat of legislation proposed by Montana independent bankers to "opt out" of the 1993 Federal Interstate Banking Law. 6. Bank Holding Companies - For the period 1983 - 1995, Mr. Browning lobbied on behalf of various interstate bank holding companies, domiciled outside of Montana, that own and operate banks in Montana. Mr. Browning represented the interests of these bank holding companies on a variety of legislative issues. Insurance: 1. Exemption for High Risk Drivers - Successfully lobbied enactment of a law to allow low risk drivers to exclude from their policies high risk drivers from their families who would not be allowed to drive the insured's automobile. 2. Business Coalitions - Successfully created state-wide grass roots business coalitions to support changes in state and federal laws affecting insurance companies and other businesses. Taxes: 1. Corporate Income Taxes - Mr. Browning has successfully represented numerous corporate clients who have been concerned about how the federal tax code unfairly taxed their business operations. 2. Property Taxes - Mr. Browning has successfully represented various commercial and industrial clients on proposals to reduce unfair property tax burdens (see in particular work performed for Columbia Falls Aluminum Company, Burlington Northern Railroad, and IBM). 3. Beer Taxes - Mr. Browning represented Anheuser-Busch in the Montana Legislature from 1983 to 1999, during which time he successfully opposed all legislative efforts to increase beer taxes. Drugs and Alcohol: 1. Drug Testing - Successfully created a statewide grassroots organization "Montanans for a Drug Free Society" and lobbied for changes to Montana's restrictive drug testing laws. 2. DUI - Lobbied to preserve sensible DUI testing standards and procedures. Currently, Mr. Browning is working on legislation to adopt more restrictive requirements for drivers convicted of DUI offenses with BAC levels in excess of .15. In 1997 successfully lobbied the enactment of a law authorizing the use of alcohol ignition interlock devices in Montana. 3. Advertising Bans - Successfully lobbied against all efforts to restrict alcohol advertising in Montana by billboards or other signage. Environmental: 1. Land Exchange Legislation - Successfully lobbied Congress for enactment of the Lost Creek Land Exchange amendments in 1996 for RY Timber Company and the Canyon Ferry land trust amendments in 1998 for the Canyon Ferry Recreation Association. 2. Clean Air Legislation - Successfully lobbied on various provisions of the 1990 Clean Air Act and against proposals to restrict the burning of hazardous wastes in Montana cement kilns. 3. Superfund Reform - Successfully created a statewide grassroots organization "Montanans for Common Sense Cleanup" to promote Superfund reform in the 104th Congress. 4. Subdivision Reform - Mr. Browning has successfully lobbied against various subdivision reform proposals. However, the Montana Legislature subsequently enacted fundamental subdivision reforms in 1993 which Mr. Browning supported. BUSINESS EXPERIENCE: SPECIAL RECOGNITION: National Directory of Who's Who in Executives and Professionals. e-mail Steve@BrowningMontanaArizona.com Return to Attorneys List |