Legislative Update

As you may have heard, the 69th session did not get off to a very quick start for the Senate. Within 15 minutes of session start, the Senate voted in an amendment to the rules, which was not popular with the leadership, who subsequently put all work on hold. That amendment clarified what the Executive Review Committee was to be responsible for, and made it so the committee only meets on an on-needed basis. This was due to the fact that up until the amendment, the Executive Review Committee’s purpose had not been defined, at least one I could ever get. The amendment also put each of the members of the Executive Review committee (now on-call) on other more meaningful committees. With this change, all those key committees will now have stronger Republican representation, two Republicans for every Democrat. With the amendment, I will now be assigned to Appropriations, in addition to the other committees I had originally: Education, Transportation, and the on-call Executive Review Committee. Because of the delay while the rules amendment was being challenged and discussed, my Highways and Transportation Committee was unable to have hearings on four bills it had scheduled.

As a conservative, I ran on the promise to support public education, support local rural hospitals, and do what I can to lower property taxes. While I was not placed on the Tax Committee, I do what I am able, talking with folks who serve on the Tax Committee about the needs and wants of the constituents in District 14. You can check my voting record, as I have voted to make sure public funds go to public schools, not non-public schools and home school programs. However, some of my fellow Republican colleagues have voted for non-public schools and have pushed through self-serving bills and subsidies.

I believe stronger ethics should be upheld by those of us serving on the legislature. I don’t believe in browbeating, bullying behavior, or concentrating power to a select few. Prior to session, we were headed down a road of not being transparent with backroom agreements taking place. By voting in the amendment to the rules, we were able to ensure fairness and establish a collaborative path forward. I know some of these behaviors have always gone on in politics, but for me, it’s important to keep it in check. Without slowing down that momentum, we were sure to lose even more Republican seats going into next session.

The only bill I have voted on in session thus far was naming a bridge by Libby after a fallen soldier. However, I have been receiving emails about not voting as a Republican, which is untrue. While headlines or soundbites can be taken out of context, these weekly articles will hopefully give fuller context to what is going on during session. Legmt.gov also records and archives all legislative meetings and events, if that is of interest.

As Always Stay Safe! [email protected]