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Many Issues Still to be Decided at Capitol
Posted by:As we enter the last six days of the legislative session, huge questions remain to be settled.
First and foremost is the status of the largest bill of the session and the only one legislators are constitutionally required to pass: The Budget. Republicans forced through their version of the budget last week and then skipped town as soon as it came to the Governor. The Governor has stated that the budget the GOP passed was unacceptable to him, because it didn’t meet the needs of Montanans. However, the Governor and legislative leadership have been meeting recently to discuss the budget.
In addition, there are several companion bills to the budget that must make it to the Governor. The most notable of these is the school funding bill. There have been several proposed school funding bills throughout the course of the session. Many of them would create new bureaucracy and would underfund our K-12 public education system. Democrats have been working hard to create a bill that would meet the needs of our students and the commitment we have to them.
Several other issues remain undecided as well, including the state employee pay plan and the “bonding bill.” With only 6 days left in the session, legislators are sure to be busy.
Pro-Gender Discrimination Bill Receives Nod
Posted by:Today, House Republicans gave initial approval to amendments the Senate made to a bill that would allow insurance companies to discriminate against customers based on their gender. This means, for example, a person could be charged higher insurance premiums for their home owners insurance simply because they are a woman (or man).
This is similar to bills that have been pushed for decades in Montana. In the early 1980′s, Montana passed a law that reinforced the State Constitution, by stating that gender can not be used as a determining factor in insurance coverage. Every legislative session since then Republicans have attempted to repeal this law.
The version of the law this year, has been amended so that it does not allow health insurance companies to discriminate based on gender. This change came in part because the Affordable Care Act, passed by Congress last year, prevents gender discrimination in health insurance.
However, the point remains; discrimination based on gender is wrong. A person should not have to pay more in home owners insurance or life insurance simply because of their gender.
This bill will be up for final approval in the House tomorrow. If the House approves it, it will move to the Governor to either sign or veto.
Freeing Up Recreation Lands
Posted by:On Friday, we told you about the GOP proposal that would make it harder for the state to acquire new public lands for fishing, hunting, camping and other recreation. This bill would establish a policy that would require the state to sell off hunting, fishing or recreation land, before they are able to purchase additional public lands.
Today though, Democrats were successful in their efforts to stop the bill. The bill failed by a 48-50 vote on third reading.
The failure of this bill, is a success for all Montanans, especially sportsmen throughout the state.
The bill is not officially dead yet though. Republicans have 24 hours to reconsider their actions. However, assuming this does not happen, this bill is likely dead.
Back to Their Tricks
Posted by:After returning from their spring break vacation, Republican lawmakers were quick to return to their old tricks to make it harder for Montanans to vote.
The House Republicans today gave initial approval to a bill that would restrict the types of identification voters can present to qualify to vote.
Currently, voters have several options in order to verify that they are eligible to vote. They can present a state issued ID or they can present a utility bill, bank statement, pay stub, voter registration card or any other government document that confirms the address of the voter. This method has worked pretty well. Montanans can easily access the ballot and there haven’t been any major problems with voter fraud. In fact, most election related controversies are when Republicans try to stop Montanans from voting.
This Republican bill will make it harder for Montanans to vote. It seeks to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Under this measure, a state issued ID card would be the ONLY valid way to verify your address. This presents problems for a whole number of Montanans.
This bill is part of the Republican agenda to make it more difficult for Montanans to vote. Similar measure the GOP have pushed have been met by the Governor’s VETO branding iron.
Spring Break!
Posted by:The Republicans in the legislature must be pretty proud of the work they’ve done over the last three and a half months–spear hunting, mandatory ultrasounds, removing funding for low-income heating assistance, nullifying federal laws, trying to switch the state to the gold standard, overturning voter initiatives, making it harder for Montanans to vote, restricting stream access and defending DUI laws–that’s the only explanation for the “Spring Break” they decided to give themselves over the next four days.
Yup, you read that correctly. They decided that they have worked hard enough and need a few days off. So they finished their floor sessions today and skipped town before finishing their work at the Capitol.
When the GOP was set to adjourn the Senate today, Senate Democratic Leader Carol Williams stood on the floor and implored the Republican leadership to not take this vacation and made it clear that the 22 Senate Democrats were ready and willing to stay and finish the people’s work. Unfortunately, Republicans wanted their “Spring Break” more than they wanted to do the people’s business, because they still adjourned for vacation.
Sen. Anders Blewett (D-Great Falls) later pointed out that Republican leader Sen. Peterson forgot about his own Code of the West bill. Sen. Blewett said, “Senator Peterson’s Code of the West, that the Senate passed today, says ‘finish what you started.’ I guess it doesn’t apply to the legislature. GOP leadership has wasted a lot of time and taxpayer money this session shotgunning unconsitutional bills. Now that it’s time to do some heavy lifting, they’re taking off for spring break.”
"We believe that the current budget, heading to the Senate Floor next week, unnecessarily pits Montanans against, creating winners and losers” 