Schweitzer and Federal Health Reform

Republicans in the Montana Legislature have a laundry list of bills addressing the Affordable Care Act.

Senator Jason Priest (R-Red Lodge) is proposing SB 106 which requires Montana Attorney General to join the Florida lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ACA. Priest also is carrying SB 228 which prohibits Montana from creating a state based health insurance exchange under the ACA.

Representative Gary MacLaren (R-Victor) is carrying a bill which would amend the State’s Constitution to give Montanans the right to choose health insurance.

I could add to this list all day long, but for the sake of brevity I will cut it off here.

With an overwhelming majority in both Houses, Republicans are voting to stop the Affordable Care Act from being implemented here in Montana. Democrats in the House and Senate, though vocal,  stand very little chance of killing the legislation. So this poses the question: What is Governor Brian Schweitzer (D-Montana) going to do with bills addressing federal health reform?

Schweitzer hasn’t said much about how he plans on handling it. Back in November he called a meeting with reps from the health care industry. He told them he was concerned with how the ACA increases the Medicaid case load.

“My job is to try and find ways to go forward so that Montana can continue to fund Medicaid and not be like 48 other states… broke,” Schweitzer says.

A few days later Schweitzer appeared on CNN’s Parker/Spitzer and said, “They passed this health care bill without challenging the expenses of the medical devices, the pharmaceutical companies, or the insurance companies. They just added new members to Medicaid and Medicare and kicked the costs down the road.”

I think it is fair to say Schweitzer is concerned about the cost of health care, and he is concerned about how the federal health care bill impacts the state budget.

So what will he do?

The majority of Democrats support the Affordable Care Act. So will Schweitzer vote party line on these bills? Or will he take the side of the Republicans and say this is just far too expensive and Montana can’t afford it?

The Shocking Seven

Since I posted “The Terrible Ten” I have had a handful of Republicans submit bills for the list of  Democratic sponsored “frivolous” bills.  Now we see claims of frivolity on both sides of the aisle. Happy reading.

SB 6 – Jim Keane (D-Butte) an act prohibiting an electronic visual presentation to a body or committee of the legislature without payment of a fee to the legislative services division.

HB 515 – Sue Malek (D-Missoula) An act providing standards for breeding dogs, providing exceptions; setting a maximum number of breeding dogs allowed; establishing record keeping requirements; providing minimum care standards; and establishing a penalty.

SB 230 – Tom Facey (D-Missoula) An act prohibiting the use of external felt-soled boots or waders in the waters of this state.

HB 528 – Frank Smith (D-Poplar) revising laws relating to the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame; revising laws relating to its location; providing for road signs to recognize the site.

SB 349 – Sharon Stewart- Peregoy (D-Crow Agency) an act repealing the statute establishing english as the official and primary language  of state and local governments.

LC1547 – Betsy Hands (D-Missoula) an act requiring ski operators to reimburse skiers if a passenger ropeway is inoperable or unable to function at full capacity for 1 consecutive hour during any 4 hour period and there are no other passenger ropeways in operation allowing skiers access to ski slopes and trials designed for skiers of all abilities.

HB 578 – Michele Reinhart (D-Missoula) an act requiring that a written record be kept of legislative meetings; requiring the legislative council to propose policies regarding the written records of legislative committee meetings

Coming Tomorrow….

I recently posted “The Terrible Ten.” It was a list of bills Democrats say are unconstitutional and/or frivolous. Well stay tuned I have a list coming from the other side.

I will post tomorrow.

Until then… Cheers to the #mtleg.

Social Bills

Lately I have been hearing a lot of rhetoric about social bills. Many Democrats are saying legislators are in Helena to create jobs and shouldn’t be dealing with social issues.

I would like to point out that I have seen social bills on both sides of the aisle. Democrats and Republicans are both guilty of carrying these bills. Republicans have been rolling out bills relating to abortion, immigration and divorce. Democrats are carrying bills relating to the death penalty, physician assisted suicide, and deviant sexual conduct.  These bills are not just coming from one side.

As a reporter covering many of these bills, I ask this question to my readers: what role do you think government should play in regulating social issues?

Chime in!

 

 

“The Terrible 10″

Democratic leadership issued a press release with what they are calling “The Terrible Ten.” It is a list of 10 bills which leadership considers to be “frivolous” and “unconstitutional.”

I just cut and pasted the list from the press release here:
HB 392—James Knox (R-Billings) wants to redefine the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution by requiring certain individuals born in our nation to apply for citizenship. One legislator’s attempt to make himself a U.S. Supreme Court justice, HB 392 could rewrite nearly 150 years of judicial precedent and discriminate against Native Americans and children of immigrants.

HB 382—Derek Skees’ (R-Whitefish) 1861 flashback would let a handful of legislators nullify any federal law passed since the signing of the Constitution.  Slavery, child labor, and universal voting rights could all be up for debate again.

HB 283—Liz Bangerter (R-Helena) would allow sex discrimination in insurance coverage–discrimination the Montana Constitution explicitly forbids.

SB 106—Jason Priest (R-Red Lodge) overreaches legislative responsibility when he attempts to force duly elected statewide officials to do his bidding by joining the national lawsuit against Healthcare Reform.  SB 106 is not just a clear violation of the separation of powers, but a clear statement that every Montanan does not need or deserve health care.

SB 114—Greg Hinkle (R-Trout Creek) would like to give each county sheriff authority over national security investigations.  SB 114 would leave anti-terrorism efforts up to dozens of uncoordinated sheriffs, a favorite of extremist groups across the country.

HB 284—Tom Burnett (R-Bozeman) wants to criminalize state employees for complying with federal law.

SB 161—Verdell Jackson (R-Kalispell) wants to invalidate laws prohibiting insurance company abuses.  In addition, he too would like to criminalize state employees.

HB 321—Krayton Kerns (R-Laurel) would end the Endangered Species Act in Montana, putting critical wildlife and habitats at risk.  He would like to wipe out the law, along with rare species.

HB 397—James Knox (R-Billings) wants to give funds to unaccredited learning institutions, instead of fulfilling the state’s constitutional obligation to provide every child with a quality education.

SB 125—Art Wittich (R-Bozeman) would prohibit Montana from complying with federal health care reform, violating the Supremacy and Commerce Clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

What are your thoughts?

Montana and Saudi Arabia

“Montana is the Saudi Arabia of natural resources,”  Senate President Jim Peterson (R-Buffalo) told a room full of Republican Senators during caucus Tuesday morning.  If he were wearing a mic I would have most certainly ran that sound bite, quotes like that zing on television.

Little did I know this whole Montana/Saudi Arabia idea has been around for quite some time. In January of 2007, Time magazine wrote an article about Governor Brian Schweitzer (D-Montana), leading with, “Schweitzer is one of the great, over-the-top showmen of American politics, sort of like Bill Clinton on methedrine.” A little further down in the article Schweitzer is quoted saying, “We [Montana] are the Saudi Arabia of coal.”

Dating back even further, the NY Times ran a story in 2005 with the lead, “If the vast, empty plain of eastern Montana is the Saudi Arabia of coal, then Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a prairie populist with a bolo tie and an advanced degree in soil science, may be its Lawrence.”

I haven’t been able to track Montana’s relationship to Saudi Arabia back further than this, if any of you can feel free to post.

 

 

What An Honor

As I packed my camera bag and headed for the equivalent of Capitol Hill here in Helena, I felt humbled. Here I am,  a rookie broadcast journalist, 1 year out of college, covering Montana’s largest governing body. 

Historically, the position of a Montana Capitol Correspondent was a highly coveted job. In recent years that has changed. Television stations are placing freshman reporters on a beat which requires more institutional knowledge than any other in the state. There was not one tv reporter, including myself, covering the Legislature today who has been in the business more than a year.  My gut says there is something dreadfully wrong with that picture.

With that said, that very shift in attitude has provided me an incredible opportunity. I am  humbled, honored, and excited about covering the 62nd Montana Legislature. I have a lot to learn, but I am eager. 

I hear stories about the past MTN (Montana Television Network-CBS Montana) Capitol Reporters who shot their stories on tape and had to drive it to the airport by 1:30 everyday so a pilot could pick up the tape and fly it to the stations. Here I am, years later, complaining about a 3:30 deadline and slow ftp site. It sure puts things into perspective.

I just want my viewers to know that I take my job seriously. I understand the importance of what I do everyday.  The best advice I was given was, “Take your job seriously, but never yourself.”