Republican lawmakers in the Montana House backtracked Wednesday on a proposal to give committee chairs more power during the 2021 legislative session. The rule could influence which bills get a public hearing.
Rep. Derek Skees, a Republican from Kalispell, said that after receiving significant push back from the public and other legislators, Republicans in the House Rules Committee have decided to remove an amendment that would have given committee chairs, who are all Republican, discretion to kill bills before they get a hearing.
"We as the Republican caucus never wanted to silence what the citizens wanted. That’s not the intent at all."
Skees said the intent of the amendment was to make policymaking more efficient.
Democratic Rep. Robert Farris-Olsen thanked Skees for taking back the amendment, saying it was politically motivated.
“The goal was to quash our ability to bring bills. That’s pretty concerning to me, and obviously it was concerning to the public, as well.”
The committee did not officially remove the amendment, and scheduled another meeting for next Tuesday, Dec. 22.