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Montana House of Representatives
| Montana House of Representatives | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | 4 terms (8 years) |
| 2013 session start: | January 7, 2013 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | Mike Milburn , (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Tom McGillvray, (R) |
| Minority leader: | Jon Sesso , (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 100 |
| Democratic Party (39) Republican Party (61) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | Art V, Montana Constitution |
| Salary: | $82.64/day + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2012 (100 seats) |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 (100 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission |
Contents |
Sessions
Article V of the Montana Constitution establishes when the Montana State Legislature, of which the House is a part, is to be in session. Section 6 of Article V states that the Legislature is to meet in every odd-numbered year in a regular session of at most ninety legislative days. However, Section 6 allows any Legislature to increase the limit on the length of any subsequent session. Section 6 also allows for the Legislature to meet in special session when convened by the Governor of Montana or when a special session is requested by a majority of the Legislature's members.
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from January 7 to April 27.
Major issues
Legislative leaders say they will focus on economic development, increased natural resource development and reforms to how the state funds education. While Republicans have a clear majority, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock has said he will veto bills that are out of the mainstream.[3]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the House was not in regular session.
2011
In 2011, the House was in session from January 3 through April 28. [4]
The bill submission deadline in 2011 was January 14.
2010
In 2010, the House was not in session.[5]
2009
The 61st session of the Montana legislature convened on January 5, 2009 and adjourned on April 25, 2009.
Elections
2012
Elections for the office of Montana House of Representatives were held in Montana on November 6, 2012. All 100 seats were up for election.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was March 12, 2012. The primary election day was June 5, 2012.[6]
Montana state representatives are subject to term limits, and may not serve more than four two-year terms. In 2012, 16 state representatives were termed-out of office.
The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Montana House of Representatives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 91 |  David Moore |
1% | 4,509 | Chuck Erickson |
| District 25 |  Tom Jacobson |
1.5% | 5,068 | Cleve Loney |
| District 63 | Franke Wilmer |
2% | 6,992 | Tom Burnett |
| District 59 | Joanne Blyton |
2.9% | 5,177 | Paul Beck |
| District 20 | Steve Fitzpatrick |
3.2% | 3,425 | Lindsay Love |
| District 85 | Gordon Pierson, Jr. |
3.6% | 3,036 | John Perkins |
| District 78 | Steve Gibson |
4.4% | 4,427 | Joe Cohenour |
| District 53 | Dave Hagstrom |
5.9% | 3,446 | Joseph Sands |
| District 22 | Casey Schreiner |
7.3% | 3,053 | George Paul |
| District 3 | Jerry O'Neil |
7.4% | 4,564 | Zac Perry |
2010
Elections for the office of Montana's state house representatives were held in Montana on November 2, 2010.
The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was March 15, 2010. The primary election day was June 8, 2010.
In 2010, the candidates for state house raised a total of $1,611,045 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [7]
| 2010 Donors, Montana House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| Guymon, Shawn | $11,470 |
| Plum Creek Timber | $9,250 |
| Shaw, Ray L | $8,750 |
| Olson, Mary Lane | $7,254 |
| National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors | $6,680 |
| Hunter, Charles L (Chuck) | $6,570 |
| Montana Contractors Association | $6,420 |
| Clark, Christy | $6,357 |
| Treasure State PAC | $6,330 |
| Bonogofsky, Debra M | $5,815 |
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Montana House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[8]
- A resident of the state for at least one year next preceding the general election
- A resident of the county for six months preceding the general election if it contains one or more districts or of the district if it contains all or parts of more than one county.
Vacancies
| How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures |
 |
If there is a vacancy in the House, the Board of County Commissioners that represent the vacant seat must select a replacement. The Secretary of State must notify the Board of County Commissioners and the county central committee of the political party that holds the vacant seat no later than seven days after the vacancy happened. The county central committee has 45 days after receiving notice from the Secretary of State to provide a list of candidates to the Board of County Commissioners. The board must select a replacement no later than 15 days after receiving the list of candidates. If the House is in session, the selection must be made no later than five days after receiving a candidate list[9]. Any person selected to fill a House seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term[10].
Representatives
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2013, members of the Montana legislature are paid $82.64/day. Per diem is $105.31/day.[11]
When sworn in
Montana legislators assume office the first Monday of January following the election. If a senator is elected to fill a vacancy, the term of service begins the day after the election.
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 39 | |
| Republican Party | 61 | |
| Total | 100 | |
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Montana State House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Leadership
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. [12]
Current leadership
Current members
Standing committees
There are a total of 16 standing committees in the Montana House:
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Business and Labor
- Education
- Ethics
- Federal Relations, Energy, and Telecommunications
- Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
- Human Services
- Judiciary
- Legislative Administration
- Local Government
- Natural Resources
- Rules
- State Administration
- Taxation
- Transportation
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Montana State House of Representatives for one year while the Republicans were the majority for 17 years, including the last five years.
Across the country, there were 579 Democratic and 482 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Montana, the Montana State Senate and the Montana House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
.PNG)
External links
- Official website of the Montana House of Representatives
- Official list of the current members of the Montana House of Representatives
- Montana 2010 election results
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ Billings Gazette, " Legislature again prepare to debate divisive issues," January 6, 2013
- ↑ Montana Legislature
- ↑ Session information for Montana Legislature
- ↑ Montana Secretary of State "2012 Elections Candidate Information"
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Montana House 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Montana State Constitution - Qualifications for running for legislature
- ↑ Montana Legislature "Montana Election Law"(Referenced Statute 5-2-402 (3) (a)-(c))
- ↑ Montana Legislature "Montana Election Law"(Referenced Statute 5-2-405 (1)-(2))
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
- ↑ Montana House Leadership
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