Archive for Legislators
Rep. Schmidt Calls Out Offensive Comment
Posted by:Yesterday, we told you about Rep. Regier’s bizarre and deplorable comments where he equated pregnant women to pregnant cows or unfinished houses. Today, Democratic Rep. Trudi Schmidt called Regier out for his comments.
On the floor of the house, Rep. Schmidt rose and rang a cowbell, before stating her objection to the Republican Representative’s comments. During her comments, she also demanded an apology from Rep. Regier.
As of this moment, Rep. Regier has not apologized for his comments.
To The Gallows?
Posted by:
Today, the Montana House tackled a piece of legislation aimed at curbing our state’s DUI problem. The bill seeks to make a person’s third DUI conviction a felony. Currently, the law states that a fourth, or subsequent DUI is a felony. The bill was given initial approval by the house, with a bipartisan majority.
However, during debate on the floor of the House, we saw one of the stranger moments this legislative session. Republican Rep. Alan Hale stood up on the floor and suggested that instead of trying to fix our state’s DUI issues with responsible legislation, instead we should build gallows for those who break these laws.
These comments were bizarre, however an inspection of Hale’s voting record is even more troubling. Hale has voted against every single piece of legislation that seeks to curb DUIs in the state. It’s as if he doesn’t think the fact that Montana has one of this highest DUI fatality rates in the country is a problem. Perhaps that is the case, as he has said several times that he believes our current punishment system for DUIs is too strict (keep in mind, currently it isn’t a felony until your 4th conviction).
One can’t help buy wonder if Hale, as a bar owner, is more concerned about his personal bottom-line, than he is about the safety of Montanans on our roads.
Montana Legislature on “The Colbert Report”
Posted by:It was only a matter of time, but the Montana Legislature has finally made it to the “Colbert Report.”
Colbert picked up on Rep. Joe Read’s bill which attempts to declare that global warming is economically beneficial for the state. He gives the Republican Representative the appropriate treatment for such a nonsensical bill.
Are Corporations People?
Posted by:
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations are allowed to make independent expenditures in political campaigns. This ruling struck down decades of laws that said that these companies could not spend from their corporate treasury for electoral actions.
This Supreme Court justified this ruling under the notion that corporations are essentially people.
This ruling was especially damaging in Montana, where we had some of the best laws in the nation regarding corporate influence in elections. Many of our fantastic laws were put in place as a response to the abuses of the Copper Kings.
Because of this ruling, corporations will now be able to spend millions of dollars attempting to defeat candidates that they think don’t have their best interests at heart.
In 2010, we already saw some signs that corporations were opening their coffers, and thus drowning out the voices of average Montanans and Americans seeking to participate in their democracy.
Rep. Ellie Hill (D-Missoula) has introduced a resolution that calls on the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that eliminates corporate person-hood, in order to return our democracy to the actual people. This bill will be heard tomorrow in House Business and Labor Committee.
Standing Up For Workers
Posted by:The Montana House, today voted on its first significant workers’ compensation bill of the session.
Unfortunately, this bill, HB 334, takes a narrow approach to reducing costs of workers’ compensation. The only true means of cost savings this bill attempts to address is benefits paid out to injured workers. The bill almost totally neglects reducing the costs of treatment. If the bill is passed into law Montana would have one of the most restrictive workers’ compensation programs in the nation.
If this bill is signed into law it would put a 5-year cap on benefits for workplace injuries. In response to this, legislators heard a story about a Missoula police officer that was shot in the neck in the line of duty. The police officer obviously suffered intense injuries and was no longer able to go back to work. As a result of the injury, he also requires around the clock care. If this bill were in place when he was injured, this police officer would see his benefits cut, despite the fact that he was no longer able to work.
Rep. Chuck Hunter (D-Helena) has led efforts to ensure that any bill passed that attempts to address workers’ comp in the state takes a comprehensive approach to the problem, and does not burden injured workers. He understands that a solution to our workers’ comp problem in the state must help both employees and business owners. A solution that only tackles a part of the problem will do nothing to improve our economy and keep Montanans working.
"We believe that the current budget, heading to the Senate Floor next week, unnecessarily pits Montanans against, creating winners and losers” 