Austin Knudsen didn’t show up to interview with MFPE for an endorsement. He didn’t even fill out our candidate questionnaire. But that doesn’t mean we don’t know where he stands — he has a clear track record on our issues.
Austin Knudsen doesn’t support public employees or unions. He wants to privatize public education and gut our retirement systems. He is against pre-school and Head Start, he wants guns in our workplaces, and he’s bad for veterans.
Austin Knudsen doesn’t deserve MFPE’s endorsement. It’s a matter of public record.
Austin Knudsen is anti-union. He voted for a Right to Work bill to end payroll deduction (SB462, 2015).
Austin Knudsen doesn’t support public employees. He voted against…
• state employee jobs (HB08, 2017 Special Session)
• state employee health clinics (2017 Special Session floor motion)
• the state employee pay plan every chance he got (HB13-2017/2015/2013/2011, SB294-2017,
• building MT Heritage Center (HB 660, 2017)
• the election day holiday for state employees (HB431, 2011)
• state employee pay raises and benefits increases (SB129, 2011)
• forming a health insurance pool for k-12 school employees (HB590, 2011)
• funding the highway patrol (HB473, 2017)
Austin Knudsen wants to gut our retirement systems. He voted to…
• destabilize TRS and PERS (SB143-2017, HB377/454-2013, HB189/632-2011)
• end pension system for all new hires (HB 338, 2013)
• end TRS and PERS (SB406, 2013)
• create hybrid retirements system for all new hires (SB54, 2011)
• move PERS to defined contribution system (SB328, 2011)
• destabilize the Faculty Retirement system (HB266, 2011)
Austin Knudsen wants to privatize Montana’s public education system. He voted for…
• publicly funded private charter schools (HB603-2011, HB315-2013, HB596-2015)
• letting anyone be a librarian (HB181, 2013)
• taxpayer funded private/sectarian tuition (HB213, 2013)
• defunding public schools (HB230 and SB175, 2013)
• taxpayer funded private and religious school vouchers (HB357-2013, HB322-2015)
• tax credits to scholarship organizations (SB81, 2013)
• tuition tax credits for private institutions (HB 433/SB410, 2015)
Austin Knudsen is against public pre-school. He voted against public preschool (HB2, 2015) and against funding Head Start (HB75, 2011).
Austin Knudsen supports guns in our workplaces. He voted for guns in schools (HB385-2017, HB320-2015) and guns on campuses (SB 143, 2015).
Austin Knudsen doesn’t support veterans. He…
• voted against building SW MT Veterans Home (SB367, 2017)
• voted to privatize MT State Veterans Home (HB2, 2011)
• is currently blocking veterans from accessing their own public park