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Montana politics, elections and legislative news

Democrat's House Rules Amendments Fail On Party Line Votes

Rep. Jenny Eck (D) HD79.
Montana Legislature

The six Democrats on the House Rules Committee proposed a dozen amendments to the House rules, mostly designed to give bills backed by Democrats better odds of passage. 

Jenny Eck of Helena says it wasn’t just about protecting the rights of the minority, but about giving all members an equal say.

“What we were fighting was the ability of a small group to block the larger body from voting on issues that are of importance to the entire body."

Two years ago, 51 house members voted to “blast” the Flathead Reservation Water Compact out of a committee and bring it to the House floor. But because the rules require sixty votes, the effort failed. That’s one of the rules the Democrats tried and failed to change Tuesday. 

House rules chairman Jeff Essman says rules that like that one serve a good purpose.

“That example that was given with respect to the CSKT compact failing to come to the floor indicates a good reason for the rule to exist because that compact was not ready for prime time two years ago."

House Democrats said a simple majority of half the members plus one should be good enough to force a floor vote on a bill. That’s the rule now in the state Senate.

Nearly every Democratic rule change proposal failed on a straight party-line vote.

Democrats did win one small victory.  The top Democrat on every House committee will continue to hold the title of “minority vice-chairman”, rather than “ranking member”, as Republicans had wanted.

Democrats complained that “ranking member” doesn’t convey the same status as “vice-chairman.” Republicans relented when they learned that changing the title would require reprinting all the committees’ stationary.

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