Missoula, MT— Tensions within the Montana Senate erupted last week as Senate Republicans failed to reach a consensus on key procedural rules, stalling legislative work and raising concerns about the remaining 86 days of the 69th Legislature.
Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, voiced his frustrations after a failed vote on a resolution to adopt comprehensive rules governing the Senate’s operations. The vote, which occurred on the fourth evening of the session, revealed a deep divide within the Republican majority, with a group of nine Republicans defecting to join Democrats in opposing leadership’s proposed rules.
The disagreement centers around changes made to the rules by Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, on Monday. Flowers successfully pushed for amendments that would limit the new Executive Review Committee and redistribute minority party members across other committees. This shift was supported by nine Republicans, including former Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, who disagreed with the direction set by Senate leadership.
Regier expressed serious concerns about the potential consequences of the fractured Republican majority, emphasizing that the failure to unite could severely hamper the Senate’s ability to function effectively. “When you have, at the very beginning of session, a group that says, ‘We’re not going to affirm the majority’s decisions,’ it strains things,” Regier told reporters after the vote.
Despite attempts by Republican leadership to amend the rules and win over the defecting members, the same group of nine Republicans and all Democrats voted against the revised proposal on Thursday night. Regier’s amendment included concessions aimed at addressing the concerns of the defectors, but it was ultimately rejected.
At the heart of the dispute is the tension between Republican lawmakers who support leadership’s vision for Senate operations and those who feel that the proposed rules and committee assignments do not serve the best interests of Montana. Sen. Sue Vinton, R-Billings, a supporter of leadership, voiced her frustrations, noting that while she did not receive some of the leadership positions she had hoped for, she remained committed to serving the people of Montana. “I’m here to serve, to serve the people in my district and the people in Montana,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ellsworth, one of the prominent defectors, defended his stance, expressing that the current Senate operations were flawed and excluded the needs of Montanans. He emphasized that he could sleep well knowing he had voted based on his principles, rather than party loyalty.
Regier, in a passionate address to the Republican caucus, called for unity, urging members to respect the mandate given to them by voters in the November elections. “Montanans did not send the Democrats to run the show, they sent us,” Regier declared, drawing applause from his supporters.
However, his plea failed to sway the defecting Republicans, and the vote on the amended rules once again ended in a 27-23 split, mirroring the result from earlier in the week. Regier, visibly frustrated, stated, “I would love it if those nine would join the caucus that they ran on, that they won on, and stop this procedure,” but vowed to continue pushing forward with the work that Montanans had elected Republicans to do.
As a result of the impasse, the Senate has continued to operate under temporary rules approved on Monday. These temporary rules are expected to remain in place indefinitely, while the Republican caucus remains in talks to resolve the leadership dispute.
The ongoing stalemate has caused significant delays in the legislative process, with Senate work stalled in the early days of the session. Regier and other GOP leaders have signaled their intent to move forward, but it remains unclear how the deep divisions within the Republican caucus will affect the remainder of the session.
