Stay involved in politics

One could ask that as the elections of 2010 are behind us, are we done with politics?  The answer would be a resounding no.

The 62nd Legislative Session began on January 3rd and there are numerous bills of interest to some of us personally and otherwise collectively to most Montanans.  Pat and I twice went to Helena this past week to speak at hearings and, while the length of the trip to the capitol city is long, it is definitely worth the experience of attending hearings, enjoying the beauty of the capitol building and observing the legislative process.

Over 2,100 bills were proposed for this session and it is difficult to imagine the army of people necessary to the process.  First one must dream up or realize the need for a particular bill, others write it into a format that can be referenced, others research it, yet others write the legal language.  Others make it available on the internet, others print it, others distribute it; some read it.  Each bill has a sponsor and is referred to as being carried by someone.  Each bill is assigned to a particular committee, perhaps the Senate Judiciary, or the House local government or numerous other possibilities.

A group of legislators, collectively known as the Committee on Committees, is assigned the task of appointing the individual legislators, be they representatives or senators, to the committees upon which they will serve for the next two years.  A schedule is set for each day of the week of the 90 day legislative session.

There is a lengthy and conscientious process for a bill to become law.  A bill must be heard before the committee to which it was assigned.  The sponsor presents it with a statement as to why this new language or amendment to an existing law is necessary; then individuals representing only themselves, their family or a particular group or association, speak before the committee.  The proponents state their belief in the bill or lay the groundwork for necessity of the law.  Then the opponents are given their chance to oppose the bill on the arguments they find pertinent.  Informational witnesses are given a chance to present, what else?, information, then the committee is given the opportunity to ask questions of the sponsor or anyone who provided a statement.  After that, the sponsor offers clarification or simply a closing statement and that ends the process of the first hearing.

From there, the process involves executive committee sessions, a second reading, and a third reading before it is presented to the entire Senate or House of Representatives where again it can be discussed and argued in the most polite way.  That is, if the bill even proceeds out of committee.  Once one body approves it, it is transmitted to the other side and it then goes through the same process but with a different group of people overseeing the process.  Should it be approved by that house then it can go on to the governor for his signature.  Transmittal, for this session, will fall on February 24th.

We would encourage you to learn more about this incredible 90 day meeting that our elected legislators are immersed in and there are numerous, and relatively painless, ways to do so.

First, of course, if using the internet.  Try out http://leg.mt.gov/css/sessions/62nd/legwebmessage.asp.  At this site you will have the options of finding a legislator, learning about the legislature, reading about the bills, accessing archives and much, much more.

If you click on bills a dropdown box will read 2011 session, past sessions, finding bills and drafting bills.  Click on 2011 Session and a page comes up that allows you to search for a particular bill by number, subject or primary sponsor.  If you know you are looking up a particular bill sponsored by a senator you will select SB which stands for Senate Bill, meaning it was introduced by a senator and will first go through the process of being scrutinized by a committee in the senate or, if introduced by a representative, select HB for House Bill.  Make the appropriate selection in the boxes provided and hit enter or Find.  The next page will show the bill draft number, the bill type and number, the short title and the primary sponsor.  Next you will read about the Bill Actions which is a statement of the bill’s current status.

This is also the page where you can read the current bill text; I usually read the PDF version, just click on PDF and you’ll be able to read the bill in its entirety.  It can be printed from the PDF format or by clicking on the print friendly box. You will be able to see what committee was assigned to hear and analyze the bill and pertinent dates related to the bill’s progress.  Farther down the page you will read information on the sponsor, the drafter, related subjects, if there is a fiscal note attached and more.

There is another site called BadBills.com.  The motto of this site is “A Bad Bill is a Future Bad Law”.  Kind of says it all.  Across the top of the page are the options for Stages 1 – 4 and Dead Bad Bills.  On the left side is a list of options including such things as a daily session agenda, the United States and Montana Constitutions, and an explanation of why badbills.com exists.  Play with this site and you will find an immense amount of information available at your fingertips.  You can even type in an email message and have it printed and hand-delivered to the designated legislator.

If you want to contact a legislator you can leave a message (for up to five legislators at a time) by calling 1.406.444.4800 from 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday.

Contact a Senator by addressing him or her at PO Box 200500, Helena, MT  59620-0500 or fax 1.406.444.4875.  Write a Representative at PO Box 200400, Helena  59620-0400.

Bottom line, become aware, become involved.  Take part in the future of Montana, learn how much hard work our elected officials go through in this short and productive few months.  Contact them, read bills, be a part of something powerful; you might find you really enjoy knowing what is going on in Helena and discover, for yourself, the difference between what you read (in a bill) and what you hear in the 30 second blurb on the news.  Start typing now!