Senate Republicans sought to restore order during the first week of the Legislature, addressing a bipartisan upheaval that disrupted multiple committees. Lawmakers abandoned plans for a committee focusing on executive branch issues after both Republicans and Democrats voiced concerns. They proposed an amendment to reassign themselves, relegating the executive review committee to an on-call basis. The Senate must now address these amendments to resolve the situation.
Sen. Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, spearheaded the Monday protest, questioning the need for the Executive Branch Review Committee. He argued that the expertise of certain members, including himself, was underutilized in a redundant committee.
“From my perspective, it was just taking those people who have expertise and experience that would really contribute to and giving them the opportunity to use their expertise [elsewhere],” Flowers told Montana Free Press.
Wednesday saw the Senate without a published hearing calendar, while the House proceeded with 21 bills across various committees. Concerns about the committee’s vague responsibilities troubled the three Democrats assigned due to their limited numbers—18 out of 50 seats—spread thinly across 23 committees. Reassigning them enhanced their influence on critical areas like state budgeting and economic development.
The committee’s five Republicans and three Democrats unanimously supported Flowers’ amendment to Senate rules, positioning them in key financial committees. With Senate Democrats’ full backing and support from three Republicans outside the Executive Review Committee, the amendment passed 27-23.
This led to a prolonged pause in committee work as leadership deliberated on the 90-day session’s direction. “It messed up the whole system” prepared over months, said Sen. President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, adding it was undone in moments.
On Wednesday, the Rules Committee not only disbanded the Executive Branch Review Committee but also countered Monday’s amendment, returning the assignment authority to the Committee on Committees. Flowers informed Democrats that upcoming votes could nullify the achieved reassignments, urging them to resist the changes.
Committees returned to regular scheduling by week’s end, though uncertainty lingered. Jon Ebelt from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services confirmed readiness, stating, “I just dropped off our hard copy of all of our presentations,” expecting Senate introductions. Sen. Chris Pope, D-Bozeman, noted the unusual nature of the shutdown, stating, “In almost 10 years, I don’t recall this ever being the case.”
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