Rep. Lang named 'Champion of Business' by Montana Chamber

The Montana Chamber of Business last week awarded 31 Montana House and Senate members with their "Champion of Business" award and Phillips County's Rep. Mike Lang was among the elected officials to be recognized.

"I'm fine with that," Lang told the PCN on Friday. "I'm on the Business and Labor committee and part of the job is to promote business, but yet do it ethically and within the standards of the system."

To be considered for the "Champion of Business" Award, a legislator must meet the following criteria: (1) received a Business Score within 10 percentage points or higher than the P-base district score; (2) no sponsorship of anti-business legislation; (3) supported the top four Montana Chamber priorities; and (4) sponsored pro-business legislation or carried a pro-business bill on the floor.

Lang pointed to his support of the Keystone XL Pipeline as one such of the business ventures he supported last session that would be good for not only the country, but also the county of Phillips.

"There are risks in everything we do but we have to do the analyzation of risk versus benefits and I think pipelines are a benefit over the risk," Lang said of the Keystone Pipeline.

Lang said that while he is happy to have support from the Montana Chamber of Business, he said that he doesn't rate as well with the Montana Teacher's Union and that fact 'saddens him.'

"I support education wholeheartedly," Lang said. "But in the same token I don't support some of the actions of the Montana Teacher's Union and the way they go against things that are not related to education."

Lang currently represents House District 35 and has since 2013. In the 2017 elections, Lang said that he intends to run for election in HD 17 currently held by John C. Brenden (R) who has been in the seat since 1993. Through the next year and a half, Lang currently sits on three committees (State Economic Affairs Committee, the Montana Sage Grouse Team and the Railroad Service Commission.)

"With the State Economic Affairs Committee, we look at what is going on with the economics of the state, how did we do in the legislature, how our money is flowing," Lang said.

Lang said the Sage Grouse team has been proposed to keep the US Federal Fish and Wildlife department 'at ease on managing' the birds and leaving Montanans in charge of management of sage grouse. As a member of the Railroad Service Commission, Lang said his job is to take a closer looks at what is being done on the rails.

"All these small towns in Montana were started along the railroad because of the Ag at first," Lang said. "No people wonder, 'oh gosh, do I want that train running through here?' But it is the cheapest way in the world to move product and tracks can only go in one place, you can't change them like you can with building a new highway."

Lang said that he is saddened by the recent mishaps with the railroads in Montana – a Washington State bound train derailed in Culbertson earlier this month – but added he is very impressed with the current safety measures being taken with the railroads in the state.

Lang recently attended the 25th Annual PNWER Summit (Pacific NorthWest Economic Region) which had their annual meeting in Montana for the first time. Lang said the organization's mission is to increase the economic well-being and quality of life for the citizens living in the northwest – including Montana and Canada.

"So much of Montana products go to the west coast," he said. "(PNWER) is trying to manage the economic structure that goes there and, again, do it within the constraints that we put on ourselves, but yet, let the process still work."

During his down time from the senate, Lang said he likes to stay on track of things around the state.

"When I first got back home, I was a little burnt out for about the first month," Lang said. "But now I am getting back on track."