WEEK 6

No bills to hear in Judiciary Committee, but my phone rang at 9 am and Elsie Arntzen, Superintendent of Schools, wants to meet me at the Capitol at 11:45. She noticed I had several bill titles on Election Integrity that I had not used. She talked and I listened. She would like to move all state elections to the primary or general elections. Their staff lawyer, who also was there, had several bill draft proposals and was asking me to help move the bills into a committee. I reminded Elsie that I was always the kid that had to stay after school, and she assured me she had no problem with that … LOL!!! If I correctly understood, when a local school board holds a special election, there is usually a poor turnout, and the actual vote count is done by school officials. I asked where the opposition for this idea comes from, and she relayed to me something I probably already knew. There are 32 members of the minority party and some Republicans that will never vote against the current education model. We need to have 51 votes to move the bill over to the Senate, and it’s very hard to go against this political machine. Almost every time, they will vote against charter schools, and will never let the dollars follow the student and give parents control over their children’s education. Nationwide, this is huge, because you never go against “big brother”, as he is the one who will/can give you everything. I like the Ronald Regan quote, “A government that is powerful enough to give you everything you want, is also powerful enough to take away everything you have.”

1 pm, House floor session starts … Chair, Amy Rieger presents her Medical Freedom Bill. (I have always referred to her as Madam Chair and hope she doesn’t mind.) Much pro and con discussion here, with Representative Zooey Zepher, (the first openly transgender ever elected to the Montana Legislature), speaking long and eloquently about his/her opposition to the bill. But, to no avail, it passed 65-35 along strict party lines.

Another party line bill presented would require insurance coverage for a 12-month supply of contraceptives. 25 Representatives, members of the minority party, thought it was a really good idea, but 75 did not, and the bill failed on the floor.

On to Energy Committee that meets M-W-F at 3:00 and voted on 2 bills to de-regulate garbage. Both bills failed in committee. House Resolution 3 was also voted on. This resolution simply made a statement, favoring Ukraine in the war. 8-5, this House Resolution failed to pass out of committee. On to a big event tonight at the Lewis & Clark Brewing Company, sponsored by Farm Bureau. Nichole Rolf, from Miles City, is a lobbyist with Farm Bureau. My youngest son, Brooks, married Nichole’s younger sister Brook, and yes, I did get that right.

Tuesday February 7 (week 6)

7:15 am … Whip meeting in the Crow’s Nest, a small office on 4th floor. The Republican caucus, made up of 68 members, is broken into small groups with 8 whip leaders. I shared earlier that my whip leader is Terry Moore, who oversaw acquisitions for 1st Interstate Banks. It’s easy for me to understand why this banking chain experienced such phenomenal growth under his leadership. The Whips meet with the Speaker, the Majority Leader and the Speaker Pro Tem on Monday mornings and go over House Priorities. The Whips then meet with their groups on Tuesday’s. Today’s meeting went like this:

Our position on HB 234 (House Bill), which was a bill brought by Representative Bob Phalen, to take porn out of school libraries, was a very contentious bill. 100% opposed by the 32 members of the minority party. Terry Moore said they would like to see a 68-32 vote count (that is code language saying that no Republican should vote against this bill, but some will), I will give you the exact count in tomorrow’s report.

Here in Helena, I am learning a lot of things I have never heard of. Today in Judiciary, we listened to a bill about “Standing Masters”. A Standing Master files the findings and conclusions or order, with the Clerk of the Court and will serve copies on all parties. It was an emotionally charged hearing, and I would recommend you all watch it. Go to leg.mt.gov and watch the HB 322 hearing. I am a great one for oversimplifying everything. I found that it worked great in the welding business but not so much here. If you listen to the hearing it looks like this legislation targets the Standard Master from Gallatin County, because it works well everywhere else.

In Agriculture Committee this afternoon, was a bill to make it illegal to sell kratom to minors. This is a product manufactured in labs in Asia and marketed in every avenue you can think of … total news to me! It produces opioid & stimulant like effects.

So, today I heard 2 words totally new to me … “Standard Master” and “Kratom”. If you want to grow your knowledge, grab a notepad and write out the definitions of these 2 words. Your homework, along with watching hearing on HB 322.

I enjoyed a great meal in the Rotunda today, sponsored by Farm Bureau. We reported to the House Floor at 1:00 and heard a bill on Election Vote Counting Procedure and, once again, it was totally opposed by the minority party. Another party line vote was a bill to NOT let building codes insist you put solar panels on new construction. Another interesting bill was introduced by my whip leader Terry Moore to get rid of the unfunded pension fund liability of $2.25 billion … kind of a big deal. This bill calls for the employer (code word for us, the taxpayers) to pay it off, in 32 years, by raising the contribution rate of the employer (State of Montana) You would think the state employees could up their ante, but that will never happen, because that is just the way it is.

3 pm and I will report to the Agriculture Committee to hear two bills, one being the Kratom bill and then take some executive action on previously heard bills. One of these bills was the Country of Origin place card bill that would have required retailers of meat products to post the country of origin on the meat. This is hard to do because meat comes in boxes from packers and one box might have cuts from multiple animals, so I voted no. Just too complicated for the retailers and it needs to come from the packers pre labeled … good luck with that one.

Wednesday February 8 (week 6)

The pace is picking up here, and it’s becoming hard for me to pick what to write about, because I just can’t tell it all. Branden Ler, from Savage, is an incredible young, talented guy. He carried 2 important bills in Judiciary today. BTW, you are selected by the big boys to carry these important bills, so this is not random. Big 2nd Amendment Bill, stating that the state of Montana will do NO business with any firm that uses the 2nd Amendment as a litmus test. Some large financial institutions deny financing to stores that sell guns, or any business that has anything to do with guns, FedEx & UPS are guilty of this. Our incredible Attorney General (next governor, my opinion) testified as a proponent and when asked about FedEx and UPS he said they were “under observation” (code word for discrimination law suit, my opinion) Anyway, a great bill that will no doubt fly out of Judiciary 13-6. The second Bill by Brandon was a classic. He opened by sharing information about his family and his occupation as a rancher and then made the statement that cows are cows and bulls are bulls. Even his kids know and understand this concept completely … just got to love it!! The bill simply said that you can’t discriminate against someone because you call them by their actual birth pronoun. Very confusing for these kids that know and understand these basic facts of life and then are forced to say and do just the opposite. Oh boy, the room was full for this one! The first proponent witness was Jeff Laszloffy from the Montana Family Foundation. Mr. Laszloffy is larger than life in Montana but especially in Helena. When he shows up at a bill hearing, it is a big deal. He has taken Montana Family Foundation from an idea, over 20 years ago, to a household word anywhere they care about traditional family values. After Mr. Laszloffy made his very short and to the point proponent speech the opponents came to the podium. I took notes, and there were 30 opponents, all from the LBGT community. The common theme was that when Johnny becomes Jill, yet still gets called Johnny, it induces severe trauma and this leads to, by their own admission, a 40% suicide rate. I’m not sure I believe that, but you get the idea of the opposition to this bill. Another 13-6 committee vote, I predict.

I picked up a spaghetti lunch in the Rotunda and head to seat #13 for the 1 pm Floor Session. Representative Bob Phalen’s Library Obscenity Bill made it to the House Floor. I knew Stevenson’s, from Miles City, were in town for the Funeral Home State meeting, so I invited them over. Todd, Joe, and Terry watched it all happen. I knew it was going to be a doozy, as you could feel the tension in the air. Bob opened the Bill and Representative Zooey Zephyr (the first transgender ever elected to the Montana House) was the first to activate the speak button at his/her desk. My contribution to the votes was, that I stated I was going to error on the side of safety for our kids. The Bill passed 55 to 45 with 23 republicans voting with the minority party!!! I don’t mean to always get down in the weeds but here it goes. I believe that our value system has been so eroded in the past decade. Its time for people to stand up against things that are just wrong. For many years now, good people have sat and watched as evil people have stepped in to destroy our country from the inside, out, and done nothing. That has to stop and people need to regain their courage and say, enough is enough and stand up!! When asked the question, “ … how could I vote “yes” on this bill …”, my answer was not that “It’s just the right thing to do” or “the bill matched my value system”. In total reality, I had to dig deep to provide an answer. The obvious question was, can I validate my belief system on this issue? (Try writing this out some time, because it’s not that easy) I’m a black and white person and don’t like the gray areas. I’ve previously shared with you, on here, my testimony and my belief in Jesus Christ as the answer to everything wrong in this life. I know that I can validate everything I stand on, and many times, that is what gives me the courage to continue. This is who I am, without apology, and I believe the Bible to be the Book that gives us all our answers about how to live, how to love our fellow man, how to build and keep a home, and on and on. You get the idea. When we have to vote on principles that are clearly outlined in the “Book” there is simply only one way I can vote on these issues. Does that mean I hate everyone that disagrees with me, because of the lifestyle they have chosen?? Absolutely not!!! I truly enjoy my conversations with them all and am thankful I have met them, but I do believe there is another, positive way of life. I understand that there are many people out there that are very sincere in their belief system, but I also know that a person can be sincerely wrong. Thanks for listening ….

Thursday February 9 (week 6)

6:30 am, report to the Legislative Bible Study and sit next to Ed Stafman. As I have previously shared, Ed is a member of the minority party and an ordained Jewish Rabi out of Bozeman. Help me figure this out, at 6:30 am we study the Bible and pray together, and just a few hours later he votes against Bob Phalen’s bill to keep porn out of school libraries! When you get that figured out, please call me collect. I know and understand that the minority party is welded together in a solid block and when it comes to moral issues, they do not give an inch and absolutely refuse to return a dime to the people. Lieutenant Governor Christine Juras also attended, and I so appreciate her courage.

OH BOY!!! Reported to Judiciary Committee at 8 am and the tv cameras are all set up, with people everywhere. Today, Braxton Mitchell presented his bill preventing Drag Queen Shows in Public schools and libraries. Our Chair slams the gavel on the table and Representative Mitchell opened his bill. In case you don’t remember Braxton from earlier posts, he is 23 years old, and his family owns Montana Jerky Company in Columbia Falls. Braxton is fearless and he loves a good fight when it comes to protecting our kids. He is confident and carries himself well. Braxton gave a short opening to his bill and sat down. Proponents were called and the 1st witness was Elsie Arntzen, the State Superintendent of Schools. She wasted no time stating that Drag shows are NOT education and have zero place in the educational system. Montana is in very good hands, as Elsie would not have had to even show up at this hearing. No one would have questioned it, but she did come and was witness #1, standing up for our kids. Witness #2, Jeff Laszloffy, a heavy hitter for pro family issues, stepped up to the podium, and questioned, “ … our children are not begging to see drag queens. Why are drag queens begging to see our children?” and sat down. Eighteen more proponents spoke, and we then heard from opponents. Three actual Drag Queens, fully decked out, so to speak. This was a first for me, as I have never seen this up close and personal. They are not a bit shy about their performances, calling it art and freedom of expression. They tell us that children need diversity and exposure to all forms of this “art and culture” to be sufficiently rounded out as individuals. It’s a shame my kids escaped all this culture and diversity. We listened to 29 opponents testify. Our Chair limited testimony to 2 minutes each because of the number of witnesses, but what follows is a typical testimony that we listen to:

Hello Chairman Rieger and members of this committee. My name is Maya and I am giving testimony today to oppose HB 361. I am a sophomore at Bozeman high school. I use they/them pronouns and I have many other friends that are trans or queer who would be directly harmed by this bill. Being deadnamed or misgendered always feels hurtful and when it is done intentionally, it feels especially demeaning. I have a friend who spent a couple of weeks in Shodair’s Inpatient Crisis Center because the bullying he/she had faced, based on their gender identity, had resulted in self-harm and suicidal tendencies. Within a school setting where trans kids already face discrimination and prejudices, enabling misgendering and deadnaming is exacerbating harmful behaviors. Misgendering or deadnaming someone is blatantly disregarding an aspect of their identity. By claiming that it does not count as discrimination, this bill is undermining the harm that these experiences cause students. Discrimination is defined as the unfair or prejudicial treatment of people and groups based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. Therefore, by definition, ignoring preferred pronouns and chosen names is prejudicial treatment of nonbinary and trans students, a marginalized group, based on gender and orientation. By preventing students and teachers who misgender trans kids from being punished, this bill would increase these harmful behaviors and prevent individuals from holding perpetrators accountable. These micro-aggressions, which are defined as indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group, are one of the causes for trans youth suicide. Data from the National Library of Medicine states that 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves and 40% have attempted suicide. This bill sets a precedent for lack of repercussions and thereby opening the path for other more extreme forms of discrimination including hate crimes. Ultimately HB 361 is blatantly transphobic and rather than protecting some of our most vulnerable students it would empower those who wish to hurt them. When considering this bill please remember the duty to protect and create a safe learning environment for all students.

My question then becomes, who is protecting and creating a safe learning environment for the students and teachers that don’t agree with this philosophy? And what place do these drag shows have in our Montana education system??

Madam Chair makes this very difficult job look easy, as she is a real professional in every way. She calls for questions from the committee and there are a few, but I am a rock-solid “yes” when we vote as a committee in a few days. The minority party will be a rock-solid “no”, exactly the way it is here in committee.

Bob Phalen’s Library Porn bill passed today 53 to 45 with 13 Republicans voting with the minority party!!! It now goes to the Senate, and if passed, goes on to the Governor’s desk. (From there, our State Supreme Court will probably call it unconstitutional???) I hope, as you read my weekly report, you can figure out that we are in an absolute culture war in every sense of the word. Please think about joining in the battle. … look at openings on school boards, city councils, Republican Central Committee’s, and appointments to boards, including church boards. You get the idea. Believe me, inactivity or letting someone else do it just won’t cut it anymore. We need all hands on deck to just hold our positions.

Friday February 10 (week 6)

Looks like the war for freedom will never stop in the Judiciary Committee. Senator Steve Fitzpatrick came to our committee today with 3 bills that have to do with temporary restraining orders and court injunctions, just a little out of the welder’s wheelhouse. I do my best to understand, and still don’t fully comprehend it all, but here I go. I raise my hand for a question to the bill sponsor, Senator Fitzpatrick. Procedure protocol is closely followed, but my question is, how many issues or number of instances, prompted the need for these changes? It got a little quiet and he said “one”. I then asked for him to describe the incident. He proceeded to tell us about an incident where a judge filed a temporary restraining order and an injunction on a bill that addressed ballot harvesting, even before the bill went to the Secretary of State’s office, to be entered into code (lawbook). Basically, you must wait until the bill officially becomes law before a court action can be taken. Some things are very hard to understand when your background is limited, but I do understand that any election integrity bill is given the highest priority and I have seen everyone in action, up close and personal, on the Judiciary Committee. I am impressed with their understanding of the process, their ability to communicate and their unity as a party. Both sides know the stakes are high and the battle is won or lost in the committee rooms with-in the State Legislators (and especially in DC). Look around our country and compare. Most of us are not against new technology but folks I know do not want wind and solar to survive on huge government incentives. We want them to stand on their own, with zero government intervention. We have an extreme dislike when things are forced on us, and many that put me in this office want more freedom and less government involvement in our lives.

The gavel is struck, and we hear a bill by Representative Jane Gillette. Jane is a Republican from the Bozeman area. Her bill title is called the Hospital Bill of Rights. Proponents are called to testify, with 18 people telling about horrible injustices that occurred during the height of the covid pandemic. I heard story after story of how patients were horribly handled during the lockdown, with no access to their families, no deviation from hospital protocols, and absolutely no ivermectin allowed. All the women that lost husbands during this time wore hats, and that was powerful! Representative Jane Gillette is an absolute rock star. I am sure this bill will pass out of committee … the testimony was just so powerful. I am hoping that some of the minority party will vote yes, and turn this into law. I keep repeating this … I talk about all great things that I see taking place in Helena but not one of them would be happening if the minority party ever re-gains power. We are in a WAR for our culture and our very way of life, I kid you not!!