Kevin Hamm for United States Representative - District 2
Democrat
By Denise Rivette
Montana Independent News posed the same four questions to all candidates in the United States Representative race in District 2. Democrat Kevin Hamm’s views are presented in their entirety below.
What are the Montana values that will guide your decision-making?
Honesty. Telling the truth is a Montana value. It’s so critical in every aspect of life, but it’s even more so in politics. No one should be elected to public office that can’t tell the truth to the people of Montana. Along with honesty, comes integrity and hard work. These are the Montana values that have guided me in building my business and they’ll continue to guide me as I work tenaciously to make good things happen for the people of Montana, our small businesses and economy, and our collective future.
What skills, knowledge and experience do you possess that make you the better candidate?
I am an IT business owner dedicated to serving the needs of small business operations, marketing, communications, and security. I’m a producer of Montana historical films and athletic events. I’ve been engaged in policymaking for more than a decade. I have a strong work ethic, a talent for finding solutions to complex problems, and an understanding of the limitations and possibilities of lawmaking. I also have a healthy dose of humility and an awareness that we need a real ‘workhorse for the people’ in Congress. Finding solutions that make lives a bit easier is what I do and what I’ve always done. I’ve held statewide leadership roles for many years. As a business owner, I’ve written complex proposals, managed tight budgets, and earned the respect of colleagues and customers. I’ve read and researched, networked and listened, provided persuasive testimony and dedicated myself doggedly to protecting and bettering Montana. As a leader in Congress you can expect me to be bold when having the courage to do what’s right is needed. You can expect me to build relationships and identify allies to keep good legislation moving forward. Congress needs to tackle issues including the sky-high cost of housing, shifting a fair share of taxes back to corporations, equitable wages, improving healthcare, expanding infrastructure, etc. We all generally agree on what needs to be done. We just need to send people to Congress that can stay focused on the purpose for which we serve, which is to get things done for you.
What are your top priorities to address during your term if you are elected?
Economic issues are the highest priority. Quality jobs are needed to help sustain young individuals, families, and seniors in the face of some of the most extreme tax hikes Montana has ever experienced, alongside inflation that is just amplifying the strain on people and communities. I want to get to work solving these challenges and putting laws into place that bring relief to struggling families and small businesses. We need smarter people who are going to fight to end the adversarial stance that the government takes with the citizens and instead invest in ways to make government work more efficient while protecting the integrity of its processes. The federal government works best when it’s efficient and invisible. For too long we’ve elected people who hate government and become their own self-fulfilling prophecy that it won’t work. I’ll look for allies and assets rather than amplifying enemies and obstacles.
What legislative language would you propose or support to address those priorities?
Many Montana households are in a tax crisis. I would support/propose legislation that requires corporations and the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes. It’s unconscionable that some first year teachers pay more in taxes than massive multi-billion-dollar corporations. Fixing the tax system is key and Montana needs a voice in that discussion.
I also strongly believe in making government less adversarial to people across the board. For example, there’s no reason a military person who was injured, having gotten a Traumatic Brain Injury while deployed, needs to fill out repetitive annual paperwork to reassert how the injury happened in order to maintain coverage. That’s inefficient and unnecessary red tape. There’s also no good reason to have grant-related projects that effectively block small or local businesses and instead facilitate further growth of larger corporations. Right now only national internet corporations can gain grant money because there’s a multi-million dollar up-front investment and smaller communities get skipped because there will never be enough revenue from them for corporations to make a big enough profit. This is most relevant across rural Montana where there is no competition in pricing. Broadband internet is as important today as having a phone number and a car. Small town Montana should not be left behind. We can fix this by having policies, particularly for projects involving grant/tax money, targeted at small/local businesses. We would grow our Montana-based companies, support local jobs, and prevent the financial squeeze on captive ratepayers too.