Tim French

A year ago, state Sen. Tim French (R-Powell) was struggling to walk, as he battled a debilitating case of Guillain-Barré syndrome. But today, his health is back — and he’s gearing up to run for a second term in the Senate next year.

When French launched his bid to represent Senate District 18 in 2020, he said voters urged him to kill bad bills and support good ones.

“I’ve tried my hardest to live up to that, and I feel I have lived up to that,” French said in an interview last week. “And if they’re gracious enough to put me in for another term, I’ll continue that.”

When the Legislature convenes in February, the state’s biennial budget will be lawmakers’ focus, but property tax relief is also top of mind for French.

“We just really have gotta get these property taxes under control, the increases,” he said. “It’s just devastating those on fixed income, and others as well. It’s affecting everybody is what it’s doing.”

While home values have risen across the state in recent years — taking property taxes up with them — Park County is among a few areas hit particularly hard. The value of an average residence in the county jumped 24% in 2021 and 16% last year. 

French said those kinds of increases will force people out of their homes, “which is just so wrong.”

He and his colleagues on the Joint Revenue Committee recently agreed to sponsor a variety of relief measures, including one targeted at long-time residents and another that would cap annual property tax increases at 5%. They’re among a slew of tax-related bills that will likely be considered in February’s Budget Session.

In last winter’s General Session, lawmakers were presented with well over a dozen bills on property taxes, but struggled to come to a consensus about the right approach. For instance, French voted against a bill that significantly expanded the state’s property tax refund program; the senator said he and other conservatives didn’t think the relief was deep enough or broad enough (it’s only available to homeowners whose income is up to 125% of the median).

However, the bill made it into law. At a revenue committee meeting in October, French said he’d received thanks from a number of constituents who appreciated the expanded program.

Still, he said Thursday that many people “are very angry” lawmakers didn’t do more.

“And rightfully so,” French said, noting the state put $1.4 billion into savings in last winter’s session.

“I’m not against saving, don’t get me wrong, but when you do that at the same time you don’t help the public when they’re struggling is wrong,” French said.

As the Budget Session approaches, the freshman senator said he also wants to “put a stop to any of these books in our schools that are really pretty disgusting,” calling some “right at pornographic.”

“You don’t need to be graphic in talking about how same sex people interact,” he said, adding, “When they’re an adult, at 18, [then] whatever, you want to look at that stuff, that’s fine. But it shouldn’t be in our grade schools.”

French said he fully supports Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder’s efforts on the issue, but suggested the Legislature could also get involved. If school districts are presenting graphic materials, lawmakers could “look at possibly yanking some money from them,” French said, “because nothing gets people’s attention more than, ‘Oh geez, I’m losing some of my funding.’”

Ultimately, however, he said voters should ask tough questions of their school board members and vote out those who aren’t following their wishes.

“The public has the power,” French said.

Any controversial bills could have a hard time picking up traction in the 2024 Budget Session, as it takes a two-thirds vote to introduce any non-budget legislation. French is poised to enter the session in much improved health.

In September 2022, he collapsed in his kitchen after being temporarily paralyzed by Guillain-Barré syndrome. It’s a rare and painful disorder that, as the Mayo Clinic explains, results in the body’s immune system attacking its own nerves.

It was a difficult recovery, but after extensive medical care and rehabilitation, French was able to make it through last winter’s General Session and he’s now getting close to 100%.

French added that he appreciated the many prayers said on his behalf.

“The big guy upstairs wasn’t ready for me just yet,” he quipped.

The filing period for the 2024 primary election opens on May 16.