On May 8th, 2024 multiple calls for a special legislative session were issued by the Montana Freedom Caucus. The purpose of these calls varied. All were topics that one would identify as Republican issues. Yet, each call was defeated by the Republican Supermajority legislative slate of representatives sent to Helena in 2022.
Legislative actions to be considered in these calls were:
Call 1 drafted May 4th was to: …“improve transparency, accuracy and trust in Montana’s election’s.” Issues addressed in this call were to be “lack of clarity in Montana code concerning what is a verified United States citizen allowed to vote in state and national elections, and lack of on the same topic in the Montana Constitution. These conditions allow for the possibility of disenfranchising Montana’s citizens to the benefit of noncitizens and reducing Montanan’s trust in our election systems and processes. And …”to consider a Constitutional Initiative to be placed on the ballot for November 2024 and to adopt statutory guidelines to clarify proof of citizenship requirements.”
Call 2 drafted May 6th was to: "Regulate illegal alien entry into Montana Regulate in relation to illegal aliens, including but not limited to: nonprofits, organizations, individuals and businesses Distribution of Marijuana Tax Revenue”
Call 3 drafted May 6th was to: …”an upcoming election in November 2024 to fill two vacant seats on the Montana Supreme Court. Absent reforms, Montana’s current “non-partisan” judicial election system will deprive Montana Voters of the most important information about the candidates running for these seats: their party affiliation. As a result, Montana voters may unknowingly cast their ballots for judicial candidates who do not share the voter’s worldview. …”to consider bills that would allow judicial candidates to have their party affiliations appear on ballots, thereby providing voters with important information they need to make informed choices when casting their ballots.”
One reason given in these calls to reassemble the legislature to address issues not addresses during the regular session is the unanticipated “sine die” that brought the unfinished legislative session to a premature close.
These action items all appear to be important, and some critical, issues for all Montanans regardless of party affiliation. They also all seem to be in full accordance with the official MTGOP platform. Yet, the supermajority Republican Montana Congress refused to support the calls.
The Ravalli County Representatives votes for and against each call are recorded as follows:
Bedey; Call 1: Against Call 2: Against Call 3: Against
Binkley: Call 1: No Vote Call 2: No Vote Call 3: No Vote
Marshall: Call 1: For Call 3: For
All Calls were favored by the House and opposed by the Senate. The combined vote totals for the House and the Senate resulted in failure of all calls.
The voting record for all Congressional Representatives can be found on the Secretary of State website under: elections/election results/ then scroll down to “Special Session” about ¾ down the page.
Comments