Six Republican state lawmakers Thursday voted in disapproval of a proposed constitutional amendment to protect access to abortion. State Democrats declined to participate in the hearing.
The committee of lawmakers voted in what appears to be a symbolic gesture to stamp a disapproving review of the proposed amendment.
The Montana Supreme Court recently ruled the proposal could go straight to signature collection and a usual legislative review was not required because of a legal technicality. But, Republican lawmakers wanted to have their say.
During the hearing, legislative staff attorney Julianne Burkhardt explained the impact of the Court’s decision to the committee. Sen. Keith Regier, a Republican from Kalispell, asked for clarification.
“The result of this committee’s vote — how and when will that be attached to the initiative?” Regier asked.
“Madame chair, Sen. Regier, it won’t be,” Burkhardt said.
Under the standard procedure, a committee of lawmakers can vote on whether to approve or disapprove of a ballot initiative, which is then indicated on the forms used to collect signatures from voters.
Democratic leaders in the state House and Senate called the hearing a “sham” in a statement.
Almost all members of the public who testified opposed the amendment. Many said its language was too broad.
The initiative’s backers face a mid-June deadline to collect 60,000 signatures from across the state needed to qualify it for the ballot.
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A campaign for a constitutional abortion rights amendment in Montana may soon begin collecting signatures to put the measure before voters this fall. But that process has been pushed back by Republican officials challenging the initiative’s content and by legal rulings. -
A constitutional amendment to protect abortion moves closer to getting on the ballot. The Republican fight with the judiciary keeps escalating. And the winner of the Republican eastern district congressional primary may boil down to who loves the Trump the most. -
The Montana Supreme Court has cleared the way for proponents of a abortion rights ballot initiative to begin collecting signatures. -
Abortion-rights advocates are asking the Montana Supreme Court to force the secretary of state to allow signature-collecting to begin on a ballot initiative.
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Abortion-rights advocates have asked the Montana Supreme Court to force the secretary of state to allow signature gathering to begin on a ballot initiative. It’s part of a fast-moving legal back-and-forth ahead of a June deadline to collect signatures needed to certify the constitutional initiative for the ballot.
