Here’s how our blessings in the MT House
voted on expanded Medicaid, HB-658

The bill passed its third reading 61–37. Twenty Republicans and 41 Democrats voted Aye. One Democrat was excused. Thirty-seven Republicans voted Nay. Rep. Rodney Garcia (R-Billings, HD-52) voted Aye after voting Nay on the second reading.

On the second reading, the bill passed 61–38 on the strength of all 42 Democratic and 19 Republican votes.

Ten amendments were offered by opponents of the bill. All failed. Only two received Democratic votes. Rep. Rae Peppers (Lame Deer, HD-42) voted for Rep. John Fuller’s (R-Kalispell, HD-8) amendment to limit Medicaid to honorably discharged veterans. Rep. Gordon Pierson (Deer Lodge, HD-78) and Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy (Crow Agency, HD-42) voted for an amendment concerning the state fund.

Thirteen Republicans voted for HB-658 on both the second and third readings, and against all amendments. These legislators comprise what Rep. Ed Buttrey calls the “solutions caucus.” This is the tail that wags the Democratic dogs.

Thirty-two Republicans voted against HB-658 on both readings and for all of the amendments. These representatives comprise the MT House’s libertarian tea party caucus that’s implacably opposed to We the People solutions to healthcare.

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The wild and petty Montana Senate votes on the
Northwestern bailout and precinct committee reform bills

Intra-party warfare among Republicans broke out on the floor of the MT Senate today in a lowdown comedy of petty blackmail, political punishment, and dazzling displays of disreputable vote switching.

Leia Larsen has the details at the Montana Free Press. Below, I have a table showing how each state senator voted on SB-331 (four votes) and HB-318 (two votes today, plus Wednesday’s blast vote). The table is a graphic presentation of a downloadable spreadsheet.

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SB-331 suffers surprise defeat on 3rd reading in MT Senate

Senate Bill 331, Sen. Tom Richmond’s sweetheart bill for Northwestern Energy, was defeated on its third reading in the MT Senate today after 11 Republicans and one Democrat changed their votes from Aye to Nay. The bill had been approved 32–18 on its second reading. Whether the bill is truly dead remains to be determined as there are reports it may be reconsidered. Meanwhile, here are the legislators who changed their votes:

Butte’s Sen. Jon Sesso again voted for the bill. He was joined by fellow Democrat Susan Webber, who switched her vote from Nay to Aye (I find myself wondering whether she hit the wrong button while voting).

This morning, I reckoned the bill would be whooped through the legislature. I was wrong — and more than a bit surprised.

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Something odd is happening with HB-318

House Bill 318, carried by Rep. Frank Garner (R-Kalispell, HD-7), amends laws governing the central committees of political parties in Montana. It passed the MT House 61–38 on its third reading on 19 February. All 42 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted Aye. Thirty-eight Republicans voted No.

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Two bad bills get floor votes in the legislature today

House Bill 658, Rep. Ed Buttrey’s bill to extend expanded Medicaid in a way that kicks half the people off the program, is the fifth bill scheduled for its second reading in the MT House today. The floor session commences at 0800. At least nine Republicans must join all 42 Democrats in voting Aye for the bill to stay alive. It may be perversely entertaining to watch Democrats speak in favor of a bill they hate.

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Old Joe Biden wants to run,
for President — again!

Former Senator and Vice President Joe Biden’s a great old guy. Some people are putting the emphasis on “great.” Wiser people are putting the emphasis on “old.” Joe’s 76, hale but a man with a history of serious medical problems. Democrats win the White House when they nominate younger, more aggressive, candidates. He needs to fade into the sunset as a statesman, not as a reincarnated Harold Stassen. Here’s the music he needs to face:

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MT House Republicans tortured HB-425 before executing it

It was a depraved and sadistic application of raw political power. Before voting to kill HB-425, the Democratic sponsored bill to extend expanded Medicaid, the Republicans on the MT House’s human services committee amended the bill by inserting the gratuitous work and work reporting requirements that infest HB-658, Rep. Ed Buttrey’s bill to extend expanded Medicaid in a way that will kick 50,000 members off of the program.

That wasn’t necessary. Just voting No on HB-435 was an option, and the clean way of tabling the bill. Mutilating the bill before slaying it had but one purpose: political torture. It was an act of terrorism, a brutal message that Republicans never will agree to the compassionate extension of expanded Medicaid. They hate the idea of We the People solutions to healthcare.

Montana’s Democrats can repair the damage that HB-658 will do only if they win working majorities in both houses of the legislature, and elect a Democrat as governor. Bipartisanship is not an option.

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The completely unnecessary sunset provision in the
2015 expanded Medicaid act led to Buttrey’s current evil

Heavily amended, but still mean-spirited, HB-658 was approved 11–8 today by the MT House’s human services committee. Making the bill less harsh will be exceedingly difficult, as Republicans, most of them philosophically opposed to We the People solutions to healthcare, control the legislature, and a veto of this abomination could lead to no expanded Medicaid because the current law sunsets when June ends.

That sunset provision had only one purpose: giving Buttrey more leverage in 2019. Not having a sunset in the original law would not have prevented any legislator from offering amendments to the law in subsequent legislative sessions. But the absence of a sunset would have empowered the governor to maintain the status quo — and protect the 96k+ recipients of expanded Medicaid — by vetoing bad amendments to the law.

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Hanna’s Act should be blasted out of the
Montana Senate’s judiciary committee

House Bill 21 is “…known as “Hanna’s Act” in remembrance of Hanna Harris, a Lame Deer woman who was murdered in 2013 on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.” Rep. Rae Peppers (D-Lame Deer, HD-41) is carrying the bill at the request of the legislature’s state-tribal relations committee.

Hanna’s Act would authorize “…the Department of Justice to assist with the investigation of all missing persons cases; requiring the employment of a missing persons specialist….”

Hanna’s Act was approved by the MT House’s judiciary committee 19–0. It was approved by the House 98–0 on the second reading, and 99–0 on the third reading.

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Legal review note questions constitutionality of
Buttrey’s bill to extend expanded Medicaid

A legal review note (page 1, page 2) written by legislative lawyers Todd Everts and Jaret Coles concludes that HB-658, Rep. Ed Buttrey’s bill to extend expanded Medicaid in Montana, may violate the Montana and United States constitutions:

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Barr reports Mueller concluded that Trump and
the Rooskies did not conspire to steal the election

According to U.S. Attorney General William Barr (letter to Congress), Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller did not unearth evidence that President Trump and his campaign conspired with Russian agents to steal the 2016 presidential election. Mueller did find evidence that the Russians meddled in the election. Barr also reports Mueller did not reach a conclusion on the allegations that Trump obstructed justice.

Below, brief summaries of Barr’s report, followed by my commentary. The highlighting is mine.

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Keith Reiger’s bill to abet vaccination resisters is still alive

Senate Bill 23, introduced by Sen. Keith Regier (R-Kalispell, SD-3) might best be titled “The Increase the Probability that Grandma Will Be Exposed to Influenza in her Nursing Home Act of 2019.” That’s because it’s designed to provide vaccination resisting employees of a business for which vaccination is a condition of employment with a way of keeping their jobs without being vaccinated. Here’s the key language (full text in the iframe below):

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There are doomsday devices in HB-658

Saturday roundup and follow-up

Note to readers: I’m back in limited action following a week dealing with health issues. For the indefinite future, my posts, especially on events at the MT Legislature, will be more sporadic and possibly less detailed than usual.

Today, observations on legislation to extend expanded Medicaid in Montana, legislation to protect Northwestern Energy from bad investments, and elevator blowback and Boeing’s reversal of fortune.

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Workin’ Man Blues

Master guitarists John Jorgenson, Tommy Emmanuel, and Luca Olivieri, representing the USA, Australia, and Italy, deliver a high energy performance of Merle Haggard’s Workin’ Man Blues.

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Saturday morning toe tappin’ music

South Carolinian Darlene Champagne sings Johnnie & Jack’s finger snappin’ Ashes of Love, known for its hard, descending three note sequence (“cold as ice”). Local legend Johnny Fenlayson backs her on the five-string banjo. This performance on the Bluegrass Express also features masterful picking on the mandolin.

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New sweetheart legislation for an 800-volt gorilla, and a
heavy-handed shrink expanded Medicaid bill gets fast-tracked

Sen. Tom Richmond’s sweetheart bill for Northwestern gets a facelift. Mike Dennison has the story at KXLH TV. The first version of the bill, SB-278, was tabled at Richmond’s request. Richmond then produced a substitute, SB-331, that, figuratively speaking, lets Northwestern get away with murder with perhaps a slap on the wrist instead of just letting the 800-volt gorilla get away with murder.

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Bad news briefs (updated)

Rep. Ed Buttrey introduces his shrink expanded Medicaid bill. It’s House Bill 658, it’s 45 pages long, and at first glance, it seems to contain many or all of the hard-ass screw the poor provisions that were under consideration.

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Democrats in Montana’s legislature have perishingly little leverage to extend and protect expanded Medicaid

Sometime this month Rep. Ed Buttrey (R-Great Falls, HD-21) is expected to introduce his bill, LC-1251, to renew expanded Medicaid in Montana. There are news reports that the bill is pretty much in final form – but it remains hidden in Buttrey’s pocket, where he apparently intends to keep it as long as possible to (a) deprive its opponents of time to organize a campaign against its most evil features, and (b) sucker as many Democratic legislators as he can into signing onto legislation that hurts Montana’s least fortunate residents.

Reportedly, the bill will impose strict and wide ranging work requirements on expanded Medicaid, and other changes such as asset tests that could reduce the number of low income people eligible for the program.

Experts at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health studied preliminary versions of the bill, concluding (report, PDF) that:

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Not everyone agrees that Rep. Omar is an anti-semite

One writer who doesn’t is William Skink, author of the Missoula based Reptile Dysfunction blog. On 8 March, he published Do Democrats Have An Anti-Semitism Problem Or Does Israel Have A Racism Problem? in response to my post of 7 March, The Democratic Party has an anti-semitism problem. Skink alleges I piled on a “smear campaign.” Actually, I just told the truth.

I attempted to post at RD a comment clarifying my position, but at the moment it seems to be caught in a spam filter and is not yet visible to readers. Here’s what I wrote:

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The Democratic Party has an anti-semitism problem

Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar, now in her third month in the U.S. House of Representatives, does not like Jews and does not like Israel. She’s a duly elected anti-Semite who accuses American politicians of being bought and paid for by pro-Israel Jewish money. She also slurs the patriotism of American politicians, accusing them of subordinating their loyalty to the United States to their loyalty to Israel. Her comments are crude and ugly, and as Bret Stephens observes in today’s New York Times, she knows exactly what she’s doing.

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At the legislature’s midpoint, some good bills
are dead — and several bad bills are still alive

There are also bad bills that died, and good bills that are still alive. The list below is far from comprehensive, but it’s a start, and it ends with proposals for improving Rep. Jessica Karjala’s bill that bans lunch shaming.

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Only medical exemptions to
required vaccinations should be allowed

Three bills (HB-564, HB-574, HB-575) that would have aided and abetted Montanans trying to avoid required vaccinations were voted down by wide margins in the MT House Thursday. Another bill, SB-23, making avoiding vaccinations easier, passed the MT Senate and is awaiting a hearing in the MT House’s judiciary committee. Should the legislature approve SB-23, one hopes that Gov. Bullock will veto it.

Bills to weaken vaccination policy are not unique to Montana’s legislature. Indeed, they’re proliferating across the nation like dandelions in a horse pasture despite serious outbreaks of measles, a nasty and highly contagious disease for which a safe, effective, vaccine exists.

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22 Democrats blessed GOP bill that attacks
the privacy rights of poor people — why?

What kind of unholy deal has the accommodationist wing of the Montana Democratic Party cut with the Republicans who want to shrink expanded Medicaid and in general, make life more miserable for low income people? Today, 22 Democratic state representatives voted for HB-433, a bill introduced by Rep. Eric Moore (R-Miles City, HD-37) — and co-sponsored by raw milk ringleader Mary Caffero and fellow Democrats Tom Jacobson, Mary McNally, and Marilyn Ryan — that grants the legislature’s fiscal analyst access to information that should remain private. There’s an excellent analysis at Wonkette, but here’s the language that does the damage:

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