Medicaid, dark money and reappraisal bills fall
The 63rd Montana Legislature came to a close in a flurry of last-minute activity last week as the state budget bill was finalized.
Three bills that failed to pass included one to expand Medicaid coverage, one to address “dark money” in election campaigns and one to shorten the property tax reappraisal cycle. Legislators representing the Columbia Falls area, all Republicans, were not always in agreement.
• House Bill 623, which would have expanded Medicaid coverage to about 70,000 more Montanans, failed to pass in the House after it was amended in the Senate.
Gov. Steve Bullock had championed the measure, arguing it would create 17,000 more jobs over the next seven years. It was opposed by Republicans who worried federal funding for the expansion would last only two years, leaving Montana on the hook.
HB 623 passed in the House on April 3 by 60-39, with Rep. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, in favor and Rep. Jerry O’Neil, R-Columbia Falls, opposed. The Senate passed it with amendments on April 18 by 27-22, with Sen. Bruce Tutvedt, R-Kalispell, in favor and Sen. Dee Brown, R-Coram, opposed.
With the amended version back in the House on April 19, Rep. Tom Jacobson, D-Great Falls, accidentally voted against the bill, resulting in a tied 50-50 vote. Regier voted yes, and O’Neil voted no. A motion to reconsider that vote failed 52-48, with both Regier and O’Neil voting no.
With the Medicaid bill dead, speculation turned to Bullock either calling for a special session or putting the matter on the ballot for the voters to decide.
In other legislative news:
• Senate Bill 375, sponsored by Sen. Jim Peterson, R-Buffalo, a comprehensive election campaign reform bill aimed at “dark money” influencing elections, failed in the House.
The Senate passed the bill on March 27 by 29-21, with Tutvedt in favor and Brown opposed. The bill needed a 60 percent vote in the House on April 15 and failed by a 54-46 vote. Regier and O’Neil voted against the bill.
Aimed at increasing transparency and accountability, the 29-page bill clarified definitions of political committees and what it means to “coordinate” activities between donors and candidates. Corporations and unions, for example, would be required to identify themselves in attributions for political ads.
The bill also would have raised the individual and committee contribution limits for candidates to reflect present day campaign costs.
• Senate Bill 398, sponsored by Tutvedt, would have changed the six-year property tax appraisal cycle to two years to account for volatile real estate markets.
Rapid growth in the Flathead Valley over the past decade and interest in lakeshore and hillside properties sent appraisals in some areas sky-high, prompting calls for reform.
Tutvedt noted that three recent district court rulings called for shorter appraisal cycles, but the Montana Department of Revenue had appealed those decisions to the Montana Supreme Court.
The Senate passed SB 398 by an unusual 28-1 vote on April 5, the day Democrats were in protest, but the House Taxation Committee tabled the bill on April 19.
• House Bill 505, which would have made it illegal for doctors or caregivers to help terminally ill people kill themselves, failed to pass the Senate by 27-23. Tutvedt voted against the bill, and Brown voted in favor.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Krayton Kerns, R-Laurel, stated that the consent of a patient could not be used in a doctor’s or caregivers’ defense. The House passed the bill on Feb. 28 by 51-46. Regier and O’Neil voted in favor of the bill.
• House Bill 141, sponsored by Rep. Pat Noonan, D-Ramsay, raised the allowed prize in live poker games from $300 to $800. The limit had not been increased in about 25 years.
The House passed the bill on Jan. 24 by 67-31, with Regier opposed and O’Neil in favor. The Senate passed the bill on Feb. 19 by 35-31, with Tutvedt in favor and Brown opposed.
HB 141 also allows establishments to hold up to 16 large-scale poker tournaments per year. The limit for each participant is $1,875. Up to three additional tournaments can be held for charity, but at least 50 percent of the collected entrance fee must go to the designated charity.