New rules lead to ‘a little bit of chaos’ in Montana Senate

A change in Senate rules on the first day of the Montana Legislature led to “messed up” planning and stalled some bills.

A print-out of committee hearings for the second day of the session was mostly blank.

Tuesday was just the second day of the 69th session, however, and, according to at least a couple of senators, some politics are expected along the way, and slight delays aren’t all bad, at least this early in the game.

In a briefing earlier in the day, Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, said the bid for new rules that led to the slowdown had surprised him, and it had serious consequences.

“It was a reshuffling of the deck, which, to me, was very … dismissive of the caucus and everything we did in November and the two months prior,” Regier said.

The previous day, a band of Republicans teamed up with Democrats to change the rules in the Senate, and on Tuesday, some, but not all, committee chairs stood up on the floor and said they had yet to get off the ground.

“Senate Judiciary is still going on a field trip,” said Sen. Barry Usher, R-Billings.

“Stay tuned,” said Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, about Senate Tax.

The sloshing in the Senate caught the attention of the House.

In House Appropriations, Chairperson Llew Jones, R-Conrad, shared ground rules about how the largest committee worked and how it fit into the work at the Capitol, with a side note about the status in the Senate.

“Senate is in a little bit of chaos about who’s on where,” Jones said.

During the first Senate floor session one day earlier, Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, proposed doing away with an executive review committee in the way Republican leaders had set it up.

At the time, Flowers said its purpose was unclear, and Democrats from the minority caucus were needed on other committees.

Sen. Jason Ellsworth, a Hamilton Republican and former Senate president, also advocated for a structure that did more to spread out the expertise of lawmakers, and he and eight other Republicans voted with Democrats.

Regier said the change meant in just 15 minutes, a couple months’ worth of logistics unraveled, everything from committee assignments to letterhead and business cards.

On the floor, he said the legislative website still had incorrect hearing meeting times, and proper ones would be printed and posted in a public space outside chambers when available.

“We’re working our tails off to get that all in sync,” Regier said.

The delays weren’t all bad, though.

The Senate wrapped up quickly Tuesday, and afterwards, Sen. Janet Ellis, D-Helena, said it was early enough in the legislative session, she wouldn’t characterize the changes with committees as disruptive.

Ellis also said she was working on a bill that dipped into some unfamiliar territory — about artificial intelligence in elections — so she saw a silver lining.

“I’m glad I have some time to prepare,” Ellis said.

Not all committees were delayed as a result, and some were having “educational” meetings instead of taking up proposed bills.

Earlier in the day, Regier said the new rules were just temporary, and the Senate might revert to the plan from leadership when it adopted permanent rules. He said he would defend the work his caucus did, but he couldn’t predict an outcome, either.

“This is politics, right?” Regier said.

Coming out of the floor session, Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, said the same thing about the brake tap on committees.

“That’s why we’re here. Politics,” Windy Boy said. “Sometimes, some people don’t get what they want. Some do. It’s like two kids playing in the playground. Some get to play with the toys, and some don’t.”

Keila Szpaller is deputy editor of the Daily Montanan, a nonprofit newsroom.