Re: Karen Budd-Falen goes to Montana
There's an interesting story developing around county supremacy advocate Karen Budd-Falen, who is keeping busy while Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke decides whether to nominate her as director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Budd-Falen is best known for her radical views that counties can assert control over management of national public land, and her representation of rancher Cliven Bundy in his fight against the government.
Budd-Falen is on her way to Ravalli County, Montana this weekend, after county commissioners shut down an attempt by a state legislator to let her present her extremist rhetoric in an official board meeting.
Instead, she’s holding a 6-hour “workshop” at a middle school that’s being advertised as “specifically meant for county government officials and conservation districts” while also letting the public purchase $10 tickets to the private event.
The Montana event comes days after officials in Crook County, Oregon quickly rammed through a land use plan that Budd-Falen consulted on. (The plan was first shown to the public on a Friday and approved the following Wednesday.)
The Eugene Register-Guard editorial board weighed in on the plan this week, noting that the new policy “would give the counties what amounts to veto power over federal land management decisions,” and that “supporters of this approach are bound to be disappointed.”
Karen Budd-Falen has made a career attempting to undermine federal authority on national public lands, dating back to her work for Catron County, New Mexico in 1992. That first land use plan, according to the Missoulian, “is considered to be a handbook for county supremacists and anti-public land extremists who have faced off in armed standoffs with public land managers and law enforcement.”
Budd-Falen had previously represented scofflaw rancher Cliven Bundy, and even once sued Bureau of Land Management employees in their personal capacity using RICO, the anti-racketeering statute. That case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, where it was rejected unanimously.
Budd-Falen’s appearance in Montana is sure to attract attention because of her likely nomination to the BLM director’s position. One of the Ravalli County commissioners, Ray Hawk, balked at the initial proposal to let Budd-Falen present in an official board meeting, noting that “She would be coming here because she wants to advocate for a land use policy; that to me is kind of code for transferring public lands, and we don’t really want to go there.”
Traveling to Montana while still waiting for the official nomination raises Budd-Falen’s profile even more—if she’s placed in charge at BLM, she would oversee the employees she once accused of being racketeers. For all of Secretary Zinke’s repeated claims that he doesn’t want to dispose of public lands, putting an extremist like Karen Budd-Falen at BLM would send a clear signal to land seizure advocates that he’s on their side.
I expect the Saturday workshop will draw protests from public lands advocates, and it could also create an awkward situation for elected officials like Montana Senator Steve Daines, who would have to vote on Budd-Falen’s nomination should Zinke give her the nod.
Let me know if you’re interested in following this story—I’m happy to put you in touch with folks in Montana who are organizing around Budd-Falen’s appearance.
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GENERALI GLOBAL ASSISTANCE EXTENDS SUITE OF TRAVEL INSURANCE PLANS TO GROWING MOUNTAIN RESORT SEGMENT
New York & San Diego, Ca., November 16, 2017 – Generali Global Assistance’s Travel Insurance division (“the Company), formerly CSA Travel Protection, today announced its new Ski & Mountain Travel Insurance offering for the growing mountain resort segment of the vacation rental market. The new plan is available during all seasons for mountain resort areas and is available immediately to property managers to offer their clients for the 2017-2018 ski season.
With the vacation rental market expected to be worth $36.6 billion by the end of 2018, the Company sees tremendous opportunities in enhancing its vacation rental coverages and features. The Ski & Mountain Travel Insurance product was curated to provide added coverages for the growing number of activity oriented travelers that target the mountain regions in both winter and summer.
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The Ski & Mountain Travel Insurance product includes some additional innovative benefits:
Carnicelli concluded “Travelers, property managers and vacation rental owners will all be pleased with the additional coverages and unique attributes of these offerings, which make them among the strongest protections available in the mountain resort segment today.”
About Generali Global Assistance
Generali Global Assistance, formerly Europ Assistance USA, has been a leading provider of travel insurance and other assistance services for more than 25 years. The Company offers a full suite of innovative, vertically integrated travel insurance and emergency services, identity protection solutions, and beneficiary companion services. Generali Global Assistance is part of the multinational Generali Group, which for over 185 years has created a presence in 60 countries with over 76,000 employees. Our success has been built on the foundation of trust that clients have placed in our ability to provide assistance in the most difficult of circumstances.
Travel insurance plans are administered by Customized Services Administrators, Inc., CA Lic. No. 821931, located in San Diego, CA and doing business as Generali Global Assistance and Insurance Services. Plans are available to residents of the U.S. but may not be available in all jurisdictions. Benefits and services are described on a general basis; certain conditions and exclusions apply. Travel Retailers may not be licensed to sell insurance, in all states, and are not authorized to answer technical questions about the benefits, exclusions, and conditions of this insurance and cannot evaluate the adequacy of your existing insurance. This plan provides insurance coverage for your trip that applies only during the covered trip. You may have coverage from other sources that provides you with similar benefits but may be subject to different restrictions depending upon your other coverages. You may wish to compare the terms of this policy with your existing life, health, home and automobile policies. The purchase of this plan is not required in order to purchase any other travel product or service offered to you by your travel retailers. If you have any questions about your current coverage, call your insurer, insurance agent or broker. This notice provides general information on Generali Global Assistance’s products and services only. The information contained herein is not part of an insurance policy and may not be used to modify any insurance policy that might be issued. In the event the actual policy forms are inconsistent with any information provided herein, the language of the policy forms shall govern.
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DENVER—Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced today that he named Brian Steed as acting director of the Bureau of Land Management, replacing career BLM staffer Mike Nedd. Before being appointed to the BLM, Steed served as chief of staff for Representative Chris Stewart (R-UT). Representative Stewart has consistently pushed for transferring American public lands to states, even co-founding a congressional caucus to push land transfer legislation.
The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:
“Secretary Zinke has just promoted a champion of disposing America’s public lands into state and private hands. Brian Steed is a proud opponent of America’s parks, wilderness, and public lands. Secretary Zinke likes to remind anyone who will listen that he’s against transferring public lands—but he’s filling Interior with individuals who want to do exactly that. Secretary Zinke’s actions speak far louder than his words.”
Under Steed’s guidance as chief of staff, Representative Chris Stewart co-founded the Federal Lands Action Group, a caucus specifically aiming to transfer national public lands to cities and states, and introduced legislation to gut our national monuments law.
In 2016, Steed provided an endorsement of transferring public lands while speaking alongside American Lands Council co-founder Demar Dahl. The American Lands Council is a Utah-based group that advocates for disposing of public lands into state and private hands.
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Constitutional amendment proposed to narrow licensure requirements
Salt Lake City, UT (November 16, 2017) — A new report issued this week by the Institute for Justice ranks Utah as having the "13th most burdensome licensing laws."
According to the report:
Utah frequently licenses occupations that are unlicensed by most other states, such as upholsterers (licensed by nine other states), crane operators (17 others), commercial floor sander contractors (21 others) and commercial painting contractors (21 others).
Utah also imposes burdens on some occupations that seem excessive compared to those for other occupations that may have a stronger connection to public safety. Fifty of Utah’s 64 occupational licenses, including all of its commercial and residential contractor licenses as well as its licenses for barbers, cosmetologists, manicurists and massage therapists, are more difficult to obtain than the state’s EMT license. For example, while cosmetologists need more than a year of education (an estimated 373 days or 1,600 hours), EMTs need only about a month (an estimated 28 days or 120 hours).
In response to this report, Libertas Institute today announces its recommendation of an amendment to Utah's Constitution in order to protect the right to work.
"Courts have previously recognized each person's right to work, but unfortunately the judicial winds have shifted in recent decades, allowing the state to add heavy burdens on Utahns as a condition of legally working in their chosen profession," said Michael Melendez, director of policy for Libertas Institute. "Our proposal will help narrow those regulations so Utah professionals can more easily enter the workforce."
The proposal for a constitutional amendment is detailed in a new policy brief published today by Libertas Institute. As detailed in the report, where only 1 in roughly 20 workers required a license in 1950, today that number has dramatically increased to 1 in every 3.
"Places like New York and the District of Columbia have less burdensome laws than conservative Utah," said Connor Boyack, president of Libertas Institute. "The fact that Utah has the 13th most burdensome licensure laws suggests we're not 'best for business' as is often claimed. This proposal will help improve Utah's ranking and, more importantly, benefit tens of thousands of workers in Utah."
Libertas Institute has been speaking with legislators about the constitutional amendment proposal, which will be introduced in the upcoming 2018 legislative session.
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About Libertas Institute
Libertas Institute is a free market think tank in Utah, advancing the cause of liberty in the state by supporting and defending individual liberty, private property rights, and free enterprise. The Institute promotes liberty by generating non-partisan analysis, holding public events, producing literature, and strategically engaging opinion leaders, policy makers, media, and interested Utahns
