The 64th legislative session convened Jan. 5 in Helena, where the top priorities of Republican leaders continue to deviate from those of Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, who will be looking to overcome opposition to some of his loftiest budget-and-policy initiatives.
Bullock’s top priorities – among them, expanding Medicaid to 70,000 low-income Montanans and funding preschool programs for 4-year-olds – have been greeted with cold reception by leaders of the Republican-controlled House and Senate, causing speculation that the nascent 2015 session could see the same gridlock that characterized the 2013 session, which saw both caucuses clash over issues such as education funding, expansion of health care coverage and school choice.
But Bullock will also have to garner Republican support if he hopes to move any part of his agenda through the GOP-controlled body following a Republican sweep in the November election.
In November, state Republicans won a 29-21 majority in the Senate, which is the same balance they enjoyed in 2013, and a 59-41 majority in the House, where Democrats found little purchase even as they gained two seats.
All 150 newly elected and holdover lawmakers convened at the state capitol on Jan. 5 to formalize leadership and committee roles, which lawmakers say will help determine the leadership makeup and how it will rule.
The GOP leaders are hopeful the party will work to overcome a splintered caucus that led to frequent bickering last session, when more moderate Republicans squared off against a faction of hardline conservatives, who opposed Bullock’s policy initiatives at nearly every turn.
The intraparty squabbling mired the session in gridlock, though the self-named “Responsible Republicans” ultimately worked with minority Democrats to pass key legislation, including an increased state budget and funding for public schools.
Incoming House Majority Leader Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, a retired teacher, said he hopes the Republican caucus can unite to focus on executing the leadership’s four-part plan, which GOP leaders laid out on the first day of the session, while standing firm on some of the party’s key priorities – tax relief, restraint on government spending and debt, cutting regulations, boosting private sector employment and natural resource development, and encouraging charter schools and private schools.
Incoming Senate President Debby Barrett, R-Dillon, released the four-part plan on Jan. 5, saying it encapsulates top GOP priorities.
The plan includes: addressing the economy by cutting taxes and paring back regulations; addressing education issues by pushing for school choice and investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure; reforming health care by protecting consumer-driven options; and addressing individual rights by focusing on defending private property rights, constitutional rights, protecting privacy, and fighting against “government takings.”
Regier said if Montana voters wanted expanded Medicaid or preschool, they would have elected Democrats to the Legislature, and they decidedly did not.
He said Bullock’s Medicaid proposal, which would model an expansion after the state’s Healthy Montana Kids program, faces the same hurdles as it did in the 2013 session. Republicans are concerned about costs as federal money for it lessens over time. The GOP proposal would expand Medicaid to a smaller number of Montanans although those ideas are not yet attached to bills.
“Before Medicaid is expanded there should be Medicaid reform. Patients that are chronic users of Medicaid should be evaluated for possible abuse of the system, and able bodied people that can be employed should be helped to find employment,” Regier said. “There could then be room for more on the current program.”
He also said he’s not convinced that preschool is a worthy investment and that those who attend don’t necessarily improve in ACT testing.
On the state’s budget surplus, which Montana has maintained for years, Regier said taxpayers should start to see more relief.
“Montana has had an ending fund balance for many years. That means the state is collecting too much money from taxpayers. It’s time for permanent tax relief for tax payers in the form of reduced income tax rates and reduced property taxes collected by the state,” he said.
On school choice, Regier decried the Common Core standards sweeping the nation, calling it federal overreach in an area that should be determined at the community level.
“Common Core standard are coming from the federal government. Public education should be locally controlled,” he said. “There are several states that have not adopted Common Core standards, and Montana should join them. Local school boards should develop their own standards.”
Meanwhile, one of the key votes of the session will take place in the first week as Republican leaders seek to make a change to the House rules that could shift how the Legislature does business.
The proposed changes, supported by GOP leaders, would give Republican House leaders the power to effectively kill bills, even if the measures win a majority vote on the floor.
Under current rules, it takes a simple majority vote to stop the speaker from sending a bill from the floor to the House Appropriations Committee, a procedural strategy used to kill a measure that House leadership doesn’t want to pass.
Under the proposed rule change it would take a three-fifths majority, or 60 votes, to block such an action.
On Jan. 6, lawmakers are expected to pass a motion to temporarily adopt last session’s rules until the new rules are voted on.
Sen. Bruce Tutvedt, R-Kalispell, a farmer who represents Senate District 3, emerged last session as a leader of a defecting faction of the GOP that split with the more conservative leadership. Together, the rogue Republicans worked with minority Democrats to pass key legislation, including an increased state budget and a major bill that increased state support for public schools.
Though difficult to predict, Tutvedt said he anticipates a more productive form of cooperation among Republican lawmakers, but encouraged a willingness to work across party lines and exhibit flexibility when dealing with Bullock.
Regier said he is hopeful that Republicans will come together and focus on implementing the leadership’s plan without making major concessions on the party’s core mission.
For his part, he’ll work to promote coal, oil and gas development through his role on the Natural Resources Committee by cutting federal regulations.
“Coal, oil and gas production should be encouraged by the state,” he said. “Inexpensive abundant energy improves the quality of life for people and improves their standard of living. The state needs to cut red tape in the permitting process for developing these natural resources.”
Regier will also serve on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Rules Committee.