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Montana State Senate
| Montana State Senate | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Upper house |
| Term limits: | 2 terms (8 years) |
| 2013 session start: | January 7, 2013 |
| Website: | Official Senate Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Jim Peterson, (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Jeff Essmann, (R) |
| Minority leader: | Carol Williams, (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 50 |
| Democratic Party (21) Republican Party (29) | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Art V, Sec. 2, Montana Constitution |
| Salary: | $82.64/day + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2012 (26 seats) |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 |
| Redistricting: | Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission |
Meeting place: | |
Contents |
Jim Peterson, a Republican, is the Montana Senate's president.
Montana state senators serve for four-year terms subject to a term limit of no more than two terms in office. Twenty-five of the state senate seats are up for election each even-numbered year.
There are 17 standing Senate committees which consider legislation on specific areas.
Sessions
Article V of the Montana Constitution establishes when the Montana State Legislature, of which the Senate 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.-elect 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 Senate was not in regular session.
2011
In 2011, the Senate was in session from January 3 through April 28. [4]
2010
In 2010, the Senate 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
- See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Montana State Senate were held in Montana on November 6, 2012. A total of 25 seats were up for election. The signature filing deadline was March 12, 2012 and the primary date was June 5 2012.
Montana state senators are subject to term limits, and may not serve more than two four-year terms. In 2012, 8 state senators were termed-out.
The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Montana State Senate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 10 |  Brad Hamlett |
2.1% | 7,985 | Wendy McKamey |
| District 27 |  Elsie Arntzen |
2.8% | 6,639 | Gary Branae |
| District 24 | Roger Webb |
3.1% | 9,015 | Wanda Grinde |
| District 17 | Greg Jergeson |
6% | 7,214 | Don Richman |
| District 2 | Dee Brown |
6.7% | 9,796 | David Fern |
| District 6 | Janna Taylor |
14.1% | 9,780 | Nancy Lindsey |
| District 43 | Gene Vuckovich |
15.1% | 7,536 | Jonathan Arnold |
| District 26 | Robyn Driscoll |
17.3% | 6,271 | Malcolm Long |
| District 37 | Jon Sesso |
19% | 9,108 | Daniel O'Neill |
| District 46 | Sue Malek |
19.7% | 9,914 | Kevin Blackler |
2010
- See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2010
Elections for the office of Montana State Senator 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.
Of Montana's 50 total seats, 25 were up for election. The 25 seats are representative of districts 1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 20, 23, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 35, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 48, and 49.
In 2010, the candidates for state senate raised a total of $993,331 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [6]
| 2010 Donors, Montana State Senate | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| Noennig, Mark | $20,000 |
| Gallik, Dave | $19,317 |
| Priest, Jason S | $17,873 |
| Facey, Thomas | $16,800 |
| Comstock, Michael B | $9,416 |
| Samson, Bruce | $7,245 |
| Cohenour, Jill | $6,439 |
| Arthun, Ron | $4,534 |
| Page, Julia L | $3,720 |
| Henry, Teresa K | $3,468 |
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve in the Montana State Senate, a candidate must be:[7]
- 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 Senate, the Board of County Commissioners that represent the vacant seat must select a replacement. The Secretary of State must notify the Board of 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 Senate is in session, the selection must be made no later than five days after receiving a candidate list[8]. Any person selected to fill a Senate seat serves until the next scheduled general election[9].
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Montana legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Montana Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Missouri senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms, or a total of eight years.
The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.[10]
Senators
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]
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 21 | |
| Republican Party | 29 | |
| Total | 50 | |
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Montana State Senate from 1992-2013.
Leadership
At the beginning of each regular legislative session the Senate elects the President and President pro tempore. It then chooses its other officers.[12][13]
Current leadership
List of current members
Standing Senate Committees
The Montana State Senate has 17 standing committees:
- Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation
- Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs
- Committee on Committees
- Education and Cultural Resources
- Energy and Telecommunications
- Ethics
- Finance and Claims
- Fish and Game
- Highways and Transportation
- Judiciary
- Legislative Administration
- Local Government
- Natural Resources
- Public Health, Welfare, and Safety
- Rules
- State Administration
- Taxation
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Montana State Senate for seven years while the Republicans were the majority for 15 years, including the last five years.
Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 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 Senate
- Official list of Montana State Senators (2009-2010)
- Montana Senate on Wikipedia
- 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
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Montana Senate 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))
- ↑ State legislative term limits
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
- ↑ 2009 Montana Senate Rules - Chapter 1 Administration
- ↑ Montana Senate leadership list
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