Montana
Montana legislative leadership looks back at 68th session
HELENA — In lower than 24 hours, Montana lawmakers went from finalizing key payments to packing up their workplaces and heading again to their properties throughout the state.
The Montana Legislature’s 68th session wrapped up late Tuesday, after 87 days tackling huge debates and an enormous quantity of payments. In keeping with information from the state Legislative Providers Division, 1,698 items of laws have been launched, and 748 of them handed by the Legislature.
The Senate adjourned Tuesday afternoon, after an surprising sine die movement. The Home wrapped up its work that night, after finalizing Home Invoice 2, the principle state finances invoice that lays out $14 billion in spending over the subsequent two years.
Republicans held a two-thirds supermajority in each the Home and the Senate, and GOP leaders mentioned Wednesday that they have been pleased with what they completed through the session.
The 68th session targeted extensively on the state finances – notably the way to use the greater than $2 billion surplus the state had firstly of the yr.
Home Speaker Rep. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, and the remainder of the Republican management crew held a information convention Wednesday morning. They touted a bundle of great tax rebates and long-term tax reductions; faculty selection measures, together with payments encouraging growth of constitution colleges; and payments on points like gender transition and obscenity, which they mentioned have been targeted on “defending Montana youngsters.”
“We admire the individuals from this nice state of Montana for sending us right here and placing your belief in us, the Republican supermajority,” mentioned Regier. “We got here into this session unified behind a set of coverage rules, which I am proud to say that we have now completed.”
Chatting with MTN Wednesday afternoon, Senate President Sen. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, additionally highlighted the cash returned to Montana taxpayers, in addition to the investments lawmakers made in areas like infrastructure and behavioral well being providers. He additionally pointed to payments geared toward encouraging housing growth, each by investing cash and by making adjustments to zoning and different insurance policies.
“I believe all of these issues – and they don’t seem to be little topics, they’re big topics – we had not simply child steps, however large leaps and bounds,” Ellsworth mentioned.
Talking at their very own information convention Wednesday morning, Democratic leaders mentioned it was a troublesome session serving in a “superminority.” Home Minority Chief Rep. Kim Abbott, D-Helena, and Senate Minority Chief Sen. Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, mentioned they have been additionally pleased with what they have been in a position to obtain, however that a lot of the session was spent pushing again what they known as Republicans’ overreach.
“After I take into consideration what we completed with simply 32 members, I’m extremely proud, and once I consider what we have been in a position to defend towards on the ground day by day, the assaults towards households and kids, I am extremely pleased with the work we did,” Abbott mentioned. “Now, after all, we weren’t in a position to defend towards all of it.”
They highlighted amendments to HB 2 to extend reimbursement charges for Medicaid suppliers, in addition to the truth that no constitutional modification proposals bought sufficient help to make subsequent yr’s poll. Nonetheless, they believed the Legislature left with out doing sufficient to supply long-term property tax aid or to assist renters struggling to afford housing.
Whereas lawmakers are leaving Helena for now, they’ll be again on the Capitol beginning this summer season for interim committee conferences. The Legislature handed a invoice that might change these committees from evenly balanced between Republicans and Democrats to having extra members from the bulk get together.