Special session call fails to attract a majority
An effort to garner lawmaker support for a special session of the Montana Legislature to tackle two hot-button issues missed its stated deadline this week. In an unsigned letter emailed to Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office Friday by Rep. Derek Skees, R-Kalispell, Republican lawmakers involved in the attempt wrote that they were unable to gain majority support for such a session in either the House or Senate, and opted not to “submit the failed attempt to you.”
The two goals Skees and his colleagues had set for a special session were to draw new election districts for the Public Service Commission, which regulates Montana utility companies, and to create a special committee with subpoena powers to investigate election integrity in the state. Gianforte and Republican legislative leadership expressed support this week for a single-issue special session addressing PSC redistricting, but neither was prepared to tackle the issue of a special committee to investigate election integrity.
Despite the failed effort this week, the letter sent to Gianforte Friday indicated that the organizing legislators are “very close” to securing broad support for a new PSC district map, which would offer lawmakers an alternative to a court-ordered map likely to stem from ongoing litigation in federal court. In an interview with Montana Free Press Friday, Skees said the push will now shift to calling for a single-issue session aimed at approving a map before the March 14 filing deadline for 2022 candidates.
“We all agree we cannot let a federal judge break our Constitution and draw our map,” Skees said.
Read more: https://montanafreepress.org/2022/02/18/montana-special-session-push-fails/