2023 Montana legislative session
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| 2023 Montana legislative session |
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| General information |
| Session start: January 2, 2023 Session end: May 2, 2023 |
| Leadership |
| Senate President Jason Ellsworth House Speaker |
| Elections |
| Next Election: November 5, 2024 Last Election: November 8, 2022 |
| Previous legislative sessions |
| 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
| Other 2023 legislative sessions |
In 2023, the Montana State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 2, 2023, and adjourn on May 2, 2023.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Republicans won a 34-16 majority in the Senate and a 67-32-1 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2023 session, Montana was one of 18 state legislatures where Republicans had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2023
Montana State Senate
- Senate president: Jason Ellsworth (R)
- Majority leader: Steve Fitzpatrick (R)
- Minority leader: Pat Flowers (D)
Montana House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Matt Regier (R)
- Majority leader: Sue Vinton (R)
- Minority leader: Kim Abbott (D)
Partisan control in 2023
- See also: State government trifectas
Montana was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2023 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
Montana was also one of 27 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Montana State Legislature in the 2023 legislative session.
Montana State Senate
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 16 | |
| Republican Party | 34 | |
| Total | 50 | |
Montana House of Representatives
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 32 | |
| Republican Party | 67 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 100 | |
Regular session
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2023 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2023. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2023 legislative session, there were 33 standing committees in Montana's state government, including 17 state Senate committees and 16 state House committees.
Senate committees
- Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee
- Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee
- Committee on Committees
- Education and Cultural Resources Committee
- Energy and Telecommunications Committee
- Finance and Claims Committee
- Fish and Game Committee
- Highways and Transportation Committee
- Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee
- Senate Ethics Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Legislative Administration Committee
- Senate Local Government Committee
- Senate Natural Resources Committee
- Senate Rules Committee
- Senate State Administration Committee
- Senate Taxation Committee
House committees
- Agriculture Committee
- Appropriations Committee
- Business and Labor Committee
- Energy, Technology, and Federal Relations Committee
- Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Ethics Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- House Legislative Administration Committee
- House Local Government Committee
- House Natural Resources Committee
- House Rules Committee
- House State Administration Committee
- House Taxation Committee
- Human Services Committee
- Transportation Committee
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the Montana Constitution can be amended:
| Montana Constitution |
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| Preamble |
| Articles |
| I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII • XIII • XIV • Schedule |
The Montana Constitution provides three mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—a citizen-initiated process, a legislative process, and a state constitutional convention. Montana requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.
Initiative
- See also: Initiated constitutional amendment
An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.
In Montana, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 10% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Montana also has a distribution requirement that requires proponents to collect signatures equal to 10% of the qualified electors in each of two-fifths (40) of the state's 100 legislative districts. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
Legislature
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required of all members of the legislature during one legislative session for the Montana State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. Since Montana has 150 legislators (100 Representatives and 50 Senators), at least 100 members must vote in favor of a constitutional amendment for it to pass. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Convention
According to Section 3, Article XIV of the Montana Constitution, a question about whether to hold a state constitutional convention is to automatically appear on the state's ballot every 20 years, if it has not otherwise appeared on the ballot in the last 20 years. Montana is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question.
The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:
| State | Interval | Last question on the ballot | Next question on the ballot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 20 years | 2010 | 2030 |
The Montana State Legislature is also authorized to submit a constitutional convention question to voters via a two-thirds (66.67%) vote of both chambers. Citizens may also initiate a constitutional convention question. The number of signatures required to place the question on the ballot is equal to 10% of the qualified electors of the state, including at least 10 percent of the qualified electors in each of two-fifths of the legislative districts. Any amendments proposed by a convention must be ratified by the voters.
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Montana.
Montana Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | R | R | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Historical Senate control
Between 1992 and 2022, partisan control of the Montana State Senate was controlled by Republicans for all but six years. The table below shows the partisan history of the Montana State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Montana State Senate election results: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 30 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 27 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 16 |
| Republicans | 20 | 31 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 34 |
During the 1900s, the Montana Senate was held for periods of time by both the Democratic and Republican parties.[1] In the early 1990s, Democrats controlled the Montana Senate until Republicans took over the chamber in the 1994 election. From 1990 to 2018, Democrats held the chamber between the 1990 and 1994 elections and the 2004 and 2006 elections. Democrats held their largest majority following the 1992 election with a 10-seat advantage.
Republicans gained 11 seats in the 1994 election and took control of the chamber. From 1994 to 2022, Republicans maintained their majority in the chamber with the exception of the years between the 2004 election and the 2006 election when Democrats controlled the chamber. Republicans held their largest majority following the 1996 election when they held the chamber with an 18-seat majority. The Republican gains from 2010 to 2016 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2022, the Montana House of Representatives was controlled by Republicans with the exception of four years when the chamber was tied. The table below shows the partisan history of the Montana House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Montana House of Representatives election results: 1992-2022
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 47 | 33 | 35 | 41 | 42 | 47 | 50 | 49 | 50 | 32 | 37 | 41 | 41 | 42 | 33 | 32 |
| Republicans | 53 | 67 | 65 | 59 | 58 | 53 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 68 | 63 | 59 | 59 | 58 | 67 | 68 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Montana State Legislature convened its first legislative session in 1889. Between 1889 and 2022, Republicans held the Montana House of Representatives for almost 25 years longer than Democrats. During those same years, the partisan balance in the state House was tied between Republicans and Democrats from 1893 to 1894, 2005 to 2006, and 2009 to 2010.[2]
Between 1889 and 1992, the Montana House of Representative was controlled for periods of time by both the Democratic and Republican parties. Since the 1992 elections, the Republican Party has controlled the state House with the exception of four years when the chamber was tied. While the state House was tied from 2005 to 2006 and 2009 to 2010, Democrats elected the speaker of the House. According to Montana law, when a chamber is tied, the political party that controls the governor's office chooses the speaker. Democrats controlled the governor's office during those years. After the chamber became tied in the 2008 elections, Republicans regained a majority in the 2010 elections, picking up 18 seats to win a 68-32 majority. The Republican gains in 2010 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.
The Republican majority in the Montana House lost seats between the 2012 and 2018 elections before regaining a supermajority in 2020.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
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See also
| Elections | Montana State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes
