Bridget Creel feature cartoon.

CAPITOL CORNER: THIS WEEK AT THE LEGISLATURE

Every two years, Montana’s 100-member House of Representatives and 50-member Senate gather in Helena for 90 days of budget negotiations, lawmaking and shenanigans. During the Legislative Session, Prairie Populist will share updates on the issues that matter most to you and the bills that impact your daily lives. See all our coverage here.

As the Montana Legislature wraps up the first half of the 2019 session this week, the 150 citizen legislators are busy trying to beat the general bills deadline; they are bills lacking any fiscal impact. Lobbyists are scurrying, armed with fact sheets and polished arguments for or against bills rushed through committees in order to meet the Transmittal deadline. Transmittal Break runs March 2-6, when legislators can take a short breather before resuming the session on March 7.

It’s a dance every two years that few perform well, yet everyone thinks they should lead. Ant-vaccination bills and raw milk are issues largely dying on the vine, while other bills related to infrastructure, the budget and Medicaid expansion are yet to come forward. Here’s a run-down of what to expect in the coming weeks:

Fireworks and intense debate around Medicaid expansion are sure to consume a lion’s share of the second half of the session. Representative Mary Caferro’s Medicaid expansion House Bill 425 has a hearing scheduled on March 16. Folks  working on controversial Medicaid expansion hope to present two big bills at the same time, but it’s unclear whether Representative Ed Buttrey’s counter bill will be filed by then.

Infrastructure bills are also big ticket items, as House appropriations committee will delve deeper into subcommittee work from the first half of the session. Subcommittees have wrapped up their work. While the entire appropriations committee is likely to change much of what committees have done, the end product is still a long way away.

The firefighter health and safety bill seems to be on a strong  path toward passage, after it made it through the Senate by a large margin on a 35-15 vote. We at Prairie Populist hope the House recognizes the first responders who put their lives on the line every day for us — and passes this much-needed on-the-job health-related bill quickly.

The Senate adjourned on Wednesday, and the House is slated to finish Friday. Legislators will soon head home to recharge their batteries and absorb feedback from their constituents. Debates have often been heated and decorum sometimes attained, but by and large this session has produced honest dialogue between parties, especially in the Senate. The House can be raucous at times. But overall, myriad Legislative role-players are headed into the midway point tired, worn out and ready for a much-needed break.

So are we. To rejuvenate, perhaps time spent at a hot spring, the ski hill or a skijoring event may be a great way to take advantage of all this snow and what’s left of the fabulous Montana winter. Then it’s back to work to complete Montanans’ business in our state capitol.

~Prairie Populist

Every two years, Montana’s 100-member House of Representatives and 50-member Senate gather in Helena for 90 days of budget negotiations, lawmaking and shenanigans. During the Legislative Session, Prairie Populist will share updates on the issues that matter most to you and the bills that impact your daily lives. See all our coverage here.