State lawmakers must be feeling pretty darn good today, dispersing from Helena back to their communities having reached a compromise budget in 90 days under fairly difficult economic circumstances. Without a doubt, Montana is, at this point, in better financial shape than many other states. Still, the budget passed the House, 56-44, with 16 Democrats and 28 Republicans opposed. House Republicans quoted in various reports seemed to oppose the budget based on the spending increase it contained, and some predicted state revenues would continue to fall, possibly necessitating a special session at some point in the future. But it was also interesting how many Democrats opposed the bill, among them House Speaker Bob Bergren of Havre.
John Adams of the Great Falls Tribune reports that Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s staff was lobbying hard behind the scenes to get a certain number of Democrats to oppose the budget – so as to preserve the governor’s line-item veto power. If the governor vetoes a bill approved by two-thirds of the Legislature, the Legislature can override the veto. If less than two-thirds of the Legislature support the bill, the Legislature would have to vote itself into a special session to override the veto – which has never happened. But it sounds like Schweitzer and other Dems weren’t interested in elaborating on any behind-the-scenes maneuvering. From Adams’ report:
When asked at a press conference if he pressured Democrats to vote against HB2, Schweitzer ducked the question.
“What I see here, Democrats and Republicans, some voted for them ultimately, some voted against them. We respect the wishes of every legislator who voted for and against these bills,” Schweitzer said.
When pressed, Schweitzer still refused to answer the question directly.
“I have many members of my staff who have been in constant communication with 150 members of the Legislature over the course of the last 90 days,” Schweitzer said. “I believe they probably had some conversations with them again today, but ultimately, we are happy that these bills passed.”
Most of the Democrats who voted against HB2 were tight-lipped about their decision.
“No comment,” said Rep. Art Noonan, D-Butte.