Editor’s note: The following story was written by a student in John B.

Saul’s graduate reporting class at he University of Montana. You are

free to share or publish this story, provided you retain the reporter’s
byline.

House District 95: Diane Sands

BY MELISSA JENSEN

Diane Sands has been working in politics for three decades

and says there is no shortage of work left to do.

She’s the representative for House District 95 in Missoula

and is running for that office again. Sands defines her job as
dealing with “your money, your issues, your life.”

Sands first served as a state legislator in 1997. She was

elected to her current seat for the 2007-2008 term.

Much of her work over the past 30 years has covered issues
that affect women and families. As chief lobbyist and executive
director of the Montana Women’s Lobby for 12 years, Sands
worked towards reproductive rights, childcare and pay equity.

As she goes door to door campaigning, she also asks voters

to support a measure on the ballot this fall requiring the state of
Montana to match more federal funds to expand the children’s
health insurance program, SCHIP.

Sands said there are still too many children who do not have
health-insurance coverage.

When it comes to education, she can see the progress made in

the recent fight to get more state funding for schools. According to
Sands, that funding has increased by 27 percent since the last
legislative session. She said the addition of full-day kindergarten
and work with “Indian Education for All” have boosted Montana’s
education system.

This November, Montanans will also vote on the 6-mill levy

that provides money for higher education in the state. Sands hopes
voters take into account that it’s not just the state’s largest schools
that benefit from that levy, but also tribal colleges and community
colleges. Sands calls the levy an ongoing commitment to
education, which she feels is the economic driver of the state.

If elected, Sands plans to continue her work with ethics

reform. She wants to continue working on bills held over from the
last session. One deals with general revisions to election law. It
would review the state’s election laws and how they work together
and possibly get rid of any out-dated material.

The second bill deals with voting by mail. If passed, it would

set up a pilot project in several counties to look at the effectiveness
of strictly mail-in ballot elections.

Sands feels strongly that Montana has an election system free

of “fraud and corruption,” led by the men and women whom she
calls heroes.

She’s just as passionate that voters take the time to cast their
ballot and take part in the process.

“I could care less about who they vote for, just that they do
it,” she said.