What the Helena 2023

What the Helena 2023 Issue 17: Sine Die

Well, we’ve made it. After five long months, a slew of national news headlines, and nearly 800 bills passed, the 68th Montana Legislative Session is finally, blessedly over. So what comes next?  First, we rest. Then, we continue– with municipal elections this fall, communities to build back up, and rulemaking processes that will determine how…

What the Helena 2023

WHAT THE HELENA 2023 ISSUE #16

In light of the historic events unfolding in Helena this week, we’re taking a break from our regular “What the Helena” programming to spend some time talking about Representative Zooey Zephyr. It’s almost certain that, if you’re engaged enough to read this newsletter, you already know that the Montana House of Representatives voted on Wednesday…

What the Helena 2023

What the Helena 2023 Issue #15

Well friends, we’re limping along and almost to the finish line of this very brutal legislative session! Through all the good news and bad, we’re grateful for you – your participation, questions, thoughts, ideas, and general existence bring us such joy. This week has been quite the doozy, but so many folks have shown up…

What the Helena 2023

What the Helena Issue #14

Has this year’s legislative session left you feeling discombobulated? Befuddled? Frazzled? Perhaps even perplexed? Well there’s a good reason for that – this year legislators have introduced the most bills since 1973, which is when Montana law had to undergo a massive overhaul to incorporate our brand-new Constitution! As we get into the closing few…

What the Helena 2023

What the Helena 2023 Issue #13

???? Calls to Action ???? ⚖️ SB 566 would create a brand new top-two primary procedure for next year’s US Senate election (and only that election), where only the two largest vote-getters in the June primary election move on to the November general election. This would almost certainly block any third-party candidate from appearing on the…

What the Helena 2023

What the Helena 2023 Issue #12

Constitutional Changes & Another Zombie Bill ???? Calls to Action ???? ⚖️ HB 915 proposes a Constitutional amendment that would replace our Supreme Court justice elections with a system where the Governor appoints new justices, needlessly injecting partisan politics into the courts. Tell your Representative you want to be able to elect your Supreme Court…

What the Helena 2023

What the Helena 2023 Issue #11

Welcome to this week’s edition of What The Helena, where we’re tackling several housing bills, the state’s budget for the next two years, andmuch more!The $14.3 billion budget bill faced quite the all-day battle in the House this week, as amendment after amendment from the Democrats was voted down nearly along party lines. However, according…

What the Helena 2023

What the Helena 2023 Issue #10

Welcome back, dear readers, to the second half of this whirlwind of a legislative session. We’re officially past the halfway point and back from transmittal break! That means that no more general bills– bills that aren’t related to revenue or Constitutional changes– can be introduced. Now, bills that have already passed in one chamber (the…

What the Helena 2023

What the Helena 2023- Issue #9

Well, readers, we are officially halfway through this absolute whirlwind of a legislative session. The Capitol building is the quietest it’s been in months, and after a series of marathon days and rapid-fire bill debates, our legislators are taking some hard-earned time off over this transmittal break to rest, recuperate, and then do it all…

What the Helena 2023

What the Helena 2023- Issue #8

Calls to Action ????????‍⚖️ SB 302 would make the November election for judges partisan after a nonpartisan primary election. Contact your legislators and tell them to vote NO on SB 302. ???? SB 441 prohibits anyone but a family member from returning a voter’s ballot (with exceptions for election and postal workers), in a clear…