Capitol Talk: Recent Episodes
Sally Mauk
Montana Public Radio's weekly legislative news and analysis program appears on Fridays throughout the legislative session. MTPR's Sally Mauk is joined by Capitol Reporter Holly Michels and UM Political Science Professor Rob Saldin to discuss the week's legislative news.
Republican lawmakers say they delivered for Montanans. Democrats say they kept a lot of bad things off the books. The Regier family reigned over much of the action. And this session marked a political turning point — but in what direction?
Republicans ban a trans lawmaker from the House floor, putting Montana in the national news spotlight. Meanwhile, much work remains on the budget as the end of the session approaches.
Republicans try to silence transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr. Anti-trans bills are on their way to becoming law. Lawmakers table a bill to create a one-time "jungle primary" in next year's Senate race. The defeat of that bill may have political fallout for Senator Steve Daines.
Abortion in Montana could be severely limited if a slew of bills headed to the governor's desk become law. Montana's attorney general intervenes in a lawsuit to ban an abortion pill. Another bill seeks to answer the question of whether religious freedom protects bigoted speech. And lawmakers hope more money will help fix problems at the Warm Springs state hospital.
Rosendale attends Trump's post-arraignment event. Republican leaders want to change election rules — but only in one race. Many Cascade County residents are not happy with how their top election officer is doing her job. And several proposed amendments to the state Constitution may not make it to the ballot after all.
Congressional opponents of a ban on assault weapons, including Montana Sen. Jon Tester, aren't swayed by another school shooting. Neither are many state legislators, who want to expand, not limit, gun rights in Montana. A reference to Satanism prompts a walkout in a Senate committee hearing. And wilderness schools for troubled teens are once again in the legislative spotlight
There aren't many Democratic fingerprints on the budget passed by the House. Montana's Legislature is just one of several targeting transgender issues. And state Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen gets an earful on a statewide tour. Is she aiming for higher office?
Montana's A.G. threatens to sue Walgreens over the abortion pill. The 2024 ballot could include a slew of proposed constitutional changes. Gov. Gianforte celebrates a major legislative win. And some Republican lawmakers propose a definition of sex.
The Capitol Talk team remembers a dear colleague. Rep. Rosendale keeps hanging out with some bad guys. The Legislature buckles down on budget work. And Sen. Steve Daines may back an unknown Bozeman businessman to challenge Jon Tester for his Senate seat.
The Governor celebrates a major win midway through the legislative session. Democrats hope to fend off attempts to weaken the judiciary. And speculation grows over who will challenge Jon Tester for his Senate seat.
Democrats cheer Senator Tester's re-election bid. Republicans excommunicate former governor Marc Racicot. Moderates celebrate a couple of tough legislative victories. And everyone is scrambling to meet the deadline to transfer bills from one chamber to the next. Learn more now on Capitol Talk.
There's rare bipartisan agreement over what to do about wayward balloons. Abortion remains a dominant legislative issue. Montana's former secretary of state wants to now be a country singer. And lawmakers argue over whether Columbus was a good guy or bad guy.
Bills affecting transgender Montanans draw emotional debate. Scientific theories are targeted for elimination from public education. And Senator Daines battles Twitter and "San Francisco elites."
Montana political leaders want some answers about a Chinese spy balloon floating in the Big Sky. Senator Steve Daines is moving up the party leadership ladder. The Republican plan for allocating a billion dollars is headed to the Senate. And prominent Montanans lead a rally to support the state Constitution
In his State of the State Address, Gov. Gianforte said Montana's economy is coming up roses, but Democrats found plenty of dandelions. And Flathead County commissioners have drawn widespread criticism for their views of the county's homeless population. Learn more now on Capitol Talk.
A lawmaker's resignation highlights the downside of Montana’s part-time legislature. The governor’s tax relief proposals face some bipartisan opposition. And another effort to make abortion illegal is likely headed to the courts.
Rep. Rosendale refuses a call from Trump. State Sen. Regier withdraws a resolution Native Americans found insulting. Rep. Zinke warns of threats to cowboys. And more Montanans may lose Medicaid funding
Republican legislators in Montana appear as divided as their counterparts in Congress. Rep. Matt Rosendale gets the spotlight in the fight for a new House speaker. Montana lawmakers must decide how to spend $2 billion. A draft resolution blows a loud dog whistle over Native American rights. Learn more now on Capitol Talk.
The 2021 Legislature produced a balanced budget with a slight spending increase, some new restrictions on abortion, a fight with the state Supreme Court and a lot of fulfilled conservative goals. Holly, Rob and Sally give their final takeaways from the session and preview the upcoming race for Montana's new second congressional seat.
The dispute between Republican legislative leadership and the state Supreme Court will likely continue after the legislative session ends. This as Montana joins several states in passing changes to voting laws — and those changes are already being challenged in court. And Friday, lawmakers reached a compromise on how to implement recreational marijuana.
COVID leads to the cancellation of floor sessions at the Legislature as the Republican leaders are in a subpoena standoff with the state Supreme Court. All this as a bill to ban abortion dies in the Senate, the governor tries to prohibit "vaccine passports" and a Montanan may become the next head of the Bureau of Land Management.
Gov. Gianforte is one of Montana's new cases of COVID. The marijuana bills are now in the Senate's lap. The House votes to abide by the First Amendment. The Republican PSC opposes a Republican Colstrip bill. And the Republican renaissance in Montana owes a lot to the legacy of former Governor Stan Stephens.
The "beast bill" heads to the Senate. The attorney general sues over restrictions on the use of federal COVID relief money. Montana could lose millions in federal education money because of a bill banning transgender students from participating in women's sports. A bill to make it easier for Native Americans to vote is killed. And a progressive blogger ends his long run as an influential gadfly.
Gov. Greg Gianforte makes headlines after trapping a Yellowstone wolf — while bills targeting wolves head toward passage. Republican lawmakers want to eliminate same-day voter registration. And the so-called "beast bill" — directing how billions in federal COVID relief money will be spent — crawls forward.
The many moving parts of the state budget have pushed lawmakers to extend the session — but Montana's Legislature isn't the state's only busy branch.
Montana Republican leaders think the COVID relief signed into law this week is a mistake. The Legislature now has to figure out how to spend the COVID windfall. Montana's attorney general joins a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security. It looks like Gov. Gianforte will sign a "religious freedom" bill if it reaches his desk. And Sen. Daines says the Interior Secretary nominee will harm Montana's "way of life" if she's confirmed.
Right-to-work legislation fails. "Culture war" bills are still alive. And the big budget fights loom as the Legislature marks its midpoint.
Montana's two senators are split on their support for the first Native American to be nominated to a Cabinet post. And the state Legislature is hurtling towards its mid-session break with a flurry of bills addressing abortion, transgender surgery and tax cuts, among others.
Bills heard this week at the Capitol seek to: limit the ability of local governments and health departments to require restrictions during a public health emergency; limit services to LGBTQ people in the name of religious freedom; make Montana a right-to-work state; declare antifa a domestic terrorist organization — even though there isn't such an organization.
Montana's two senators are expected to split their votes on impeachment. The governor has lifted the state's mandatory mask mandate, and Attorney General Austin Knudsen joins the effort to reverse a Biden administration decision to halt the Keystone pipeline.
Gov. Greg Gianforte wants to increase the power of Montana's executive branch. Meanwhile, U.S. Congressman Matt Rosendale loses a battle with the national Republican leadership. And state Legislature moves toward making it harder to vote and easier to carry concealed guns.
Gov. Gianforte's State of the State address was a mixture of Republican canon and bipartisan proposals. Lawmakers disagree whether an immigration bill has racist intent. A handful of Republicans change their minds about a bill to limit gender-affirming health care for transgender youth. And hefty raises for executive branch department heads raise some eyebrows.
This week on Capitol Talk, restrictions on abortion and trans rights dominate the House Judiciary Committee while that same committee's Republicans bar reporters from a meeting. All that as old fissures reappear in the Republican caucus.
Montana's congressman votes as expected against impeachment, and Montana's two senators are having a very public spat. Gov. Gianforte has a rocky rollout of new orders lifting some pandemic restrictions. Attorney General Knudsen gets into a legal fight with a county attorney over local COVID-19 regulations. And university administrators keep a wary eye on a bill headed to the State Senate that would allow guns on campus.
Montana lawmakers had very different takes on Wednesday's insurrection and the unfounded claims that fueled it. Gov. Gianforte released his budget proposal. And the Legislature started out with confusing and contradictory COVID-19 protocols.
Tonight on Capitol Talk: Big bills that passed, and ones that didn't; the split in the Republican party — and its consequences; Gov. Bullock's pending big announcement; and Attorney General Tim Fox's fondness for chicken.
Tonight on Capitol Talk: It was hard-fought, but Medicaid expansion will continue in Montana, and Gov. Bullock is celebrating the big legislative win. Moderate Republicans once again tipped the scales on Medicaid and other big items. Greg Gianforte appears ready to leave Congress, giving Democrats a glimmer of hope of retaking the seat. The Legislature is ready to wrap up after the Easter break.
Bills to continue Medicaid expansion — and to buy more coal — have nothing in common, unless you want one, or both, to pass. That fight, and whether transparency is good or bad for legislating top our discussion tonight on Capitol Talk.