Montana’s 64th Legislative Assembly is firmly under way in Helena. January 26 was the last day for bill requests, meaning the session’s agenda is mostly set. Things will get pretty wild in late February as the deadline for “transmittal” from one body to the other looms, and absolutely bananas toward Adjournment Day, April 27.
In both Washington, D.C. and Helena, I’ve watched “government in action.” Washington is absolutely not for the humble citizen. Helena certainly can be, if you come ready.
How? Well, start by visiting Flathead Electric Cooperative. Ask for a copy of the 2015 Montana Legislative Guide from the friendly front-counter staff.
The co-op guide contains politician names, mug shots, contact information, committee assignments; agency information, staff names and contacts; a Capitol floor plan; Capitol complex maps – tons of good stuff. Lobbyists don’t leave home without theirs.
These co-op guides (also offered as a free app from either the Apple or Google Play stores under “Montana Legislature”) are a vastly-underappreciated public resource. I asked, and was sorry to learn that with 48,000 FEC customers, Flathead Electric only needs about 225 guides to satisfy the expected local demand.
Second, get on the Montana Legislature site, leg.mt.gov. There you can (if you want) access and study every bill, dig in deep to just about anything. Want the daily agenda? Video? Audio? Montana Code? Past Legislatures? To send comments on a bill? It’s all there – that is, when the site works. As I was writing this column, it tied up around suppertime and stayed that way for several hours – not the first time I’ve seen that happen. Darn those North Korean hackers!
Together, the co-op guide and the Legislature’s website will give you a good idea of what’s going on in Hel, and when it will be worth your time to visit, maybe even participate.
Day trips are possible, leaving Oh-dark for Helena and back home really late, but an overnight stay is probably saner.
Our legislators have a jam-packed day. Committee hearings start at 8 a.m., then after a break, legislators go to chambers to vote and debate. Then comes another cycle of hearings, sometimes more floor action, and many nights, committees are still hearing testimony or in executive session at 8 p.m. and beyond.
Parking honestly stinks around the Capitol complex, but there’s a shuttle from the east parking lot of Capitol Hill Mall direct to the south ground floor entrance. Once inside, you’ll find handy restrooms for freshening up, and a café straight down the stairs from the main south entrance. It’s not cuisine, just solid food priced right.
Once fresh and fortified, you can head to the main information/security desk. The officer and staffers there have answers, or know who does. At the desk are copies of the daily schedule of events for the Senate and House. The schedules show what bills will be discussed in what rooms before which committee, and what is up for floor votes. And – there are copies of the co-op guide – so you can find the hearing room.
If you are there to testify about a bill before a committee, you need to sign in for the record. Spoken testimony is limited to, at most, two minutes, and more likely 60 seconds. On controversial bills with packed hearing rooms – sometimes you get to say your name and one sentence. Have substantive concerns about a bill? You’ll do better if you present them to legislators well in advance.
In slow moments, scattered throughout the Capitol are handy computer stations where anyone can log in and check bills and schedules. Otherwise, I personally enjoy hanging in what I call Lobbyist Alley, a hallway on the north side of the third floor west of the Rotunda, next to the Senate chamber. Everyone walks down the Alley, with its handy snack bar between the House and the Senate chambers. There are speakers so you can listen to the Senate debate – but the most fun is watching the lobbyists sit, wait, and then pounce. Try it, it’s fascinating.
Will I see you in Hel? Hope so!