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Division and Diplomacy

Roundup and analysis of the 64th Montana Legislature

By Tristan Scott
The Montana State Capitol is illuminated at dusk. Beacon file photo

The 64th Montana Legislature adjourned April 28, when lawmakers voted to end the session three days early without passing a $150 million infrastructure bill that stood out as a sticking point for a conservative bloc of Republican House representatives and dominated the session’s waning days.

The Beacon visited the Helena Capitol last week and caught up with Flathead lawmakers as well as Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock to discuss the successes and failures of the past four months, during which a divided GOP caucus was dealt a series of defeats while watershed legislation was ushered into law, including Medicaid expansion, the Flathead tribal water compact and campaign finance reform.

Here’s a synopsis of the 2015 session.

— Tristan Scott

Helena
A legislator walks up the stairs toward the House and Senate chambers as the session nears an end. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Divided GOP Caucus Dealt Major Defeats

A splintered Republican caucus in the House laid the foundation for major legislative upsets

By Tristan Scott

HELENA – Every legislative session takes on a life of its own, evolving and maturing, stumbling and striding, and ultimately striking an accord as both chambers plod through months of discourse and debate, hashing out the finer points of statewide policies bristling with consequences that will affect the lives of a million Montanans.

The 64th Montana Legislature was no exception, particularly in its final days of labor-intensive, single-minded efficiency, during which the fragile political sphere seemed poised to transcend partisan politics and accomplish its singular objective of passing a state budget. It then took two deliberate steps backward and descended into the murky waters of dysfunction.

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Helena
Reps. Keith Regier, left, and Mike Cuffe discuss a bill on the House floor during the 64th Montana Legislative Session in Helena on April 23, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Final Days of Legislature Distill Essence of Session

A clutch of conservative GOP lawmakers stood firm against the Governor’s infrastructure bill

By Tristan Scott

HELENA – As if the 2015 Montana Legislature needed a more succinct metaphor to sum up the last four months of spirited public policy debate, one emerged in the waning days of the 64th session in the form of the state’s sprawling budget-and-infrastructure package.

Actually, it had been there all along, steeping in the diverse ideological pool of 150 citizen lawmakers who converged on the Capitol Jan. 5 with a single constitutional obligation – to pass a two-year state budget. But on days 83 and 84 of the 90-day session, it reared its head as legislators went to work with the overriding goal of passing the budget and closing out the session a week early.

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Helena
Rep. Frank Garner walks into a mostly empty House floor during the 64th Montana Legislative Session in Helena on April 24, 2015. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Garner Displays Independent Streak During 2015 Session

Freshman lawmaker bucks House leadership by carrying legislation to combat “dark money”

By Tristan Scott

HELENA – Frank Garner arrived in Helena with the same statesmanlike principles intact that characterized his campaign for a seat in the state House of Representatives – standing up for his hometown constituency, looking to his colleagues for guidance while maintaining his streak of independence and setting out to accomplish the task voters assigned him.

But the loose threads of a legislative campaign, designed to win, not earn, votes, can often unravel when a freshman legislator arrives at the Capitol and the crash course in citizen lawmaking begins in earnest.

“There are a lot of competing interests when you have four months, 1,800 bill drafts, 100 different personalities representing different constituencies, lobbyists and other influencers, and a lot of really long days,” Garner said recently, describing the legislative process in an interview at the Capitol during the waning days of the 2015 Montana Legislature. “But we are supposed to come here to vigorously debate the issues of the state.”

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Helena
Gov. Steve Bullock shakes hands with Sen. Chas Vincent after signing the Senate Bill 262, the Flathead water compact, in Helena on April 24, 2015. Bullock was joined by Rep. Steve Fitzpatrick, left, and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chairman Vernon Finley. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

A Look at What Passed and What Failed at the 2015 Montana Legislature

A roundup of hot-button issues debated in Helena this session

By Tristan Scott

Infrastructure

On April 27, lawmakers in the House voted down Senate Bill 416, the $150 million infrastructure bill, and voted to adjourn for the session.

The infrastructure bill was the final issue before the Legislature, which has already passed a two-year state budget.

Over the weekend, the Bullock administration and leading lawmakers were still trying to negotiate an over-arching state budget and infrastructure spending deal.

The sticking point was SB416, which provides at least $150 million in cash, bonding and borrowing authority to finance statewide public works projects and construction of new state buildings on college campuses and elsewhere.

While the state constitution requires the Legislature to pass a two-year budget each session, no such requirement exists on the building-project funds.

The Legislature’s scheduled 90th and final day was May 1, though it adjourned April 28.

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