Senate Bill 176, a proposal from Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, to change the membership of most interim committees to reflect the partisan balance of the Legislature, passed a preliminary vote in the House Tuesday with a pair of amendments, 66-34.
During legislative sessions, interim committees convene to examine policy matters and develop bills for upcoming periods.
In the past, the committees have typically had an equal representation of members from both the Democratic and Republican parties. Regier argues that this is a fair approach, where the number of lawmakers sent to Helena by voters determines the ratio in the interim committees. His proposed bill aims to alter the composition of most interim committees to have a three-to-one ratio in favor of the majority party, which in the current scenario would be the Republicans.
During last month’s Senate debate on the bill, he emphasized that democracy should continue beyond sine die.
However, Democrats from the minority party cautioned that the proposed bill would weaken a bipartisan institution in the state. They expressed concern that Republicans are currently striving to introduce partisanship into nonpartisan bodies across different levels of government.
“This bill overturns the many decades of Montana legislative history, practice and tradition of bipartisanship during the interim,” Rep. Ed Stafman, D-Bozeman, said on the floor Tuesday.
Both the Legislative Finance Committee and the Legislative Audit Committee would keep their bipartisan balance under the bill, but the bill says the presiding officer must be of the majority party. Administrative committees like the ethics committee would also stay bipartisan. And thanks to an amendment added Tuesday by Rep. Tyson Running Wolf, D-Browning, the State-Tribal Relations Committee would maintain an even split between the parties.
Regier’s daughter, Rep. Amy Regier, R-Kalispell, carried the bill through the House. “The minority party has a difficult time filling all the positions,” she said.
According to Regier, the average Democrat tends to serve on a greater number of interim committees compared to the average Republican. In fact, there were Republicans in the House who did not serve on any interim committees following the 2021 session.
“This is a simple bill. Elections have consequences,” said Rep. George Nikolakakos, R-Great Falls, on Tuesday. “If the voters want even committees they’ll send a 50-50 House.”
The measure was opposed by Democrats who argued that legislation produced by bipartisan interim committees is more effective.
“I understand some freshmen didn’t get interim committees and they would like to and I understand that,” Rep. Marilyn Marler, D-Missoula, said. “The will of the people or the will of the voters is we come up here and set good policy. The majority party may switch from session to session — it has, and it will again in the future — but over all this time the interim committees have been a stabilizing force.”
Rep. Neil Duram, R-Eureka, was one of two Republicans to vote against the bill. He said serving on interim committees is rewarding, and appreciates their function as a filter for legislative ideas.
What bothers me the most is that I can easily recognize fairness. Fairness is something I appreciate, but this situation just doesn’t seem fair to me.
Rep. Neil Duram R-Eureka
“I’m the one who generates ideas,” he stated confidently. “In my mind, they’re all brilliant. However, when I discuss them with my wife, she points out that most of them aren’t. Similarly, when I share them with all of you, some of you also make me realize that certain ideas fall short. Nevertheless, amidst this evaluation, I do manage to come up with a few good ones. It is through this iterative process that a handful of those good ideas ultimately succeed and come to fruition.”
Duram expressed his main concern as his ability to recognize fairness. He appreciates fairness and feels that this [bill] does not align with that value.
Versions of the bill have come before past legislatures but haven’t succeeded, often due to opposition from within the GOP. Among those past opponents was Senate Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, who voted for the bill in the Senate this session.
Last month, he explained his opposition to a bill from the previous session, stating that he voted against it because it aimed to make every interim committee partisan. This would have led to partisan hiring and firing of staff and the ethics committee would have also become partisan. He emphasized the importance of nonpartisanship in administrative committees and ensuring that the staff remains nonpartisan.
According to him, Regier’s bill distinguishes itself by solely impacting policy interim committees.
He stated that we currently possess a significant majority, and he does not foresee any changes in the foreseeable future.
