Conservative Organizer
Job description
2016-2017
 

The Montana Abolition Coalition is a collaboration of organizations and individuals that value justice and are committed to repealing Montana’s death penalty. The Coalition continues to successfully bring together a wide range of people from across the political spectrum for a common cause. While this diverse group may disagree on a number of issues, we stand united in our commitment to abolishing the death penalty.
 
About the job:
The Conservative Organizer is a full-time position working out of the offices of the Montana Catholic Conference. Office location /home office is negotiable; however working in Helena full time is expected during the legislative session. This position will include working flexible hours, evenings, and weekends. Statewide travel is required.

The position will report to the Coalition Director. Salary will be $2,300-2,600 per month, commensurate with experience. The contract will be for the time period of August 1st, 2016 through April 30th, 2017; with an option to extend the contract as funding allows. Employee will receive a monthly allowance to purchase or be reimbursed for health insurance benefits.

Target start date for this position is August, 2016, negotiable.
 
Qualifications:

• Personal commitment and enthusiasm to end the death penalty
• Self-motivated and able to work with a team of diverse people and organizations.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills, both written and oral.
• Comfortable with analyzing and articulating complex issues and communicating them to a variety of audiences.
• Experience with grassroots organizing, online organizing and/or communications.
• Basic computer competency.
• Direct or personal experience with Republican or conservative individuals or organizations a plus.

 
Responsibilities:
 
Coalition

• Participate in Steering Committee meetings, sharing work, coordinating tactics, and evaluating strategy.
• Assist with and attend large Coalition events such as speaking tours and the Annual Meeting.

 
Conservative outreach and organizing

• Arrange dialogues about the death penalty at small gatherings of conservatives, including Pachyderm Clubs and local Tea Party groups, sharing information about how abolishing the death penalty fits with conservative values, identifying grasstops individuals that the Coalition can work with to advance our work.
• Reenergize Montana Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, building a solid group of committed participants and creating a strong presence for the group at conservative events and in media, including social media.

 
Republican Party organizing

• Gather intelligence on potential candidates for election and meet with candidates before they stake out a position on the death penalty, preventing them from pinning themselves in a corner.
• Participate in Party events that foster relationships with individual party members and legislators/candidates specifically.
• Facilitate a Republican Advisory Group of key legislative leaders in the Republican Party who support abolition and who can further our cause in the legislature and in the Party.
• Coordinate efforts with the Coalition lobbyist to ensure coverage of target legislators and candidates. 

 
Evangelical and Religious outreach and organizing

• Set up dialogues about the death penalty with individual members and pastors of evangelical churches.
• Help mobilize the members of the Montana Catholic Conference (MCC) and the Montana Association of Christians through communications, publications, and events in churches, coordinating work with the Coalition board members.

 
To Apply: Email cover letter, resume, and three references to: JenK@mtabolitionco.org; incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed beginning July 15th, 2016.

For more information visit Johnny Cash Tribute & Silent Auction

On Feb. 4, 2016, the Economic Affairs Interim Committee voted to create an Air Ambulance Working Group to identify possible solutions to the decreasing the burden of air ambulance costs on Montanans.  The group is comprised of air ambulance providers, insurers, hospitals and consumers. The working group is responsible (via the State Auditor’s office) to report back to the Economic Affairs Interim Committee on the status of their work.

The Air Ambulance Working Group met on May 25th to continue discussions on the following proposed solutions:

1. Transparency/Disclosure: providing air ambulance provider fees/cost for out of network providers.
2. In-Network/Provider Data: fee data for in-network providers provided by BCBSMT and Allegiance (additional fee data is provided on the Montana State Legislature’s website)
3. Definition of Emergency: EMTALA definition of “emergency”
4. Hold Harmless: review the Hold Harmless laws of Florida and New York, and discuss binding arbitration.
5. Emergency Room Doctor (in replace of Hospital Panel): the working group listened to input from an emergency room physician from Bozeman Deaconess.
6. Provider Skill Set: Reviewing the nature of care based on air ambulance scenarios, and establishing fees based on the type of service provided.
7. Air Ambulance Billing Codes: Multiple billing codes were proposed to the working group.  This discussion will be continued in the next working group meeting.

A subcommittee/working group was established to begin drafting legislative language for a hold harmless statute. They will provide an update to the working group at the July 8th meeting. The Air Ambulance Working Group needs to have proposed solutions to the Economic Affairs Interim Commission Committee by end of August.  The working group will also continue discussing establishing cost based on provider skill sets and establishing a set of proposed billing codes.
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Though it was not on the agenda, membership (to air ambulance providers) programs, their cost and transparency was discussed at length during the first part of the meeting.  The group learned that many of these membership programs are operated from an organization that is “separate” from the air ambulance provider. Several within the group continued to have concerns over the lack of transparency with the memberships, the cost, and the lack of patient choice to call upon a flight within their membership.
Overall, while the meeting at times became heated and emotional, the level of discussion moved the group towards consensus on a possible short-term solution, particularly regarding a hold harmless statute/legislative change. 

For additional information, please visit click on the Air Ambulance Working Group

The Montana Synod Sexual Misconduct Policy adopted in 2005 mandates
that the synod provide ongoing education on issues related to sexual misconduct,
boundaries and prevention strategies. Every rostered leader and lay staff should be
trained in this. Ethics, common sense and church insurance policies suggest that
documentation of boundaries training should be in every minister’s file. While we have not yet taken the step that other synods have taken of making this mandatory,
we are strongly encouraging rostered leaders and LPAs to take the opportunity to
attend this workshop to refresh your skills and awareness. If you have not taken a
Boundaries class in the last 10 years, please consider taking this workshop to
refresh your skills and awareness.

This 6- hour workshop is offered by the Montana Synod, with continuing education hours given to participants through the Montana Synod. Pastor Greg Holler-Dinsmore and Pastor Carol Karres are the Sexual Misconduct and Boundaries workshop facilitators.

The cost will be $30, and the location will be at the Radisson Hotel Billings, just prior to the Synod Assembly and Theological Conference. The Boundaries training will be from 1:30-6 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, 2016.

Overnight accommodations are available at the Radisson Hotel Billings for Thursday night. Room costs are $89 plus tax. Please contact The Radisson Hotel Billings (formerly The Holiday Inn Grand, 5500 Midland Rd, Billings MT 59101). The Radisson has an online reservation link for our group here:

http://www.radisson.com/montana/synod , or call (406)248-7701 or 1-800-333-3333, toll free. Ask for the Montana Synod block. Rooms will be released after May 13th.

We look forward to having a good turnout at this workshop.
Please call or e-mail Colter McCarty to register. (406) 453-1461 or cmccarty@montanasynod.org You may bring your payment with you.