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Helena Hotflash
from the
Montana Women's Lobby
Friday, May 6, 2005
Sine Die
³That¹s All Folks!²
The Montana Women¹s Lobby had three legislative priorities for the 2005 session. Maintaining Non-Gender Insurance, raising the minimum wage, and requiring school districts to have anti-bullying policies. We also supported choice, low income issues, and human rights bills as time permitted. Thank you for your calls & e-mails. We could not have done it without you.
Linda Gryczan
Lobbyist
NON-GENDER INSURANCE Round 18
The Issue That Won¹t Go Away
Sen Duane Grimes (R-Clancy), sponsored this session¹s attempt to repeal non-gender insurance. it fizzled. We had lots of support & the insurance companies had lackluster opposition. You¹d think they would catch on and quit bringing it up every session.
RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE
The House Business & Labor Committee tabled Rep Christine Kaufmann¹s (D-Helena) bill to raise the minimum wage from $5.15/hour to $8.00--enough to bring a mom and one child up to poverty. Sen Dan Harrington (D-Butte), offered a bill to raise it to $6.00. The Senate thought minimum wage workers should earn as much as the student pages who deliver messages at the Capitol and raised it to $6.25. Another hundred bucks a month would have made a difference to the lowest paid workers, who would have unloaded the money in the local economy, but free market fans said no. Voters in even the most conservative states are saying yes, to raising the minimum wage. Watch for a referendum.
SAFE SCHOOLS
Anti-Bullying Policies
Even a gutted version of SB 198 by Sen Sam Kitzenberg, that would have required anti-bullying policies in schools, was voted down as part of the dreaded homosexual agenda. Our R supporters could not stand up to the religious right who generated more than 100 calls per legislator. The bill went down, but the work continues. A bipartisan subcommittee demanded action from the School Board Assn & The Board of Public Ed. At last bullying is on their agenda. The Board of Public Education will be taking two hours of testimony on bullying in Montana schools at their next meeting on May 12th at 3:00 at the Montana School for the Deaf & Blind in Great Falls. Consider attending or sending written testimony to the Board and please CC it to Betty Kijewski at the Montana Human Rights Network betty@mhrn.org.
EDUCATION FUNDING--Two out of Three
The Montana Supreme Court ordered Montana to 1), define a free system of quality education, 2), develop a funding formula that will pay for it--a formula that must cover the fixed costs of schools during declining enrollments. 3),the legislature must fund education for the next biennium, until a new formula is in place.
1) SB 152 by Sen Don Ryan (D-Great Falls), was the definition bill. After having bipartisan input, it passed the House and Senate by wide margins.
2) A Senate Education subcommittee met several times a week to create a new funding formula but they need more time. $200,000 was appropriated so they can hire a consultant and continue to meet. The entire legislature is expected to return in December to approve of the new formula.
3) In the meantime, schools need funding. The legislature agreed on a 7% raise under the old funding formula or $80 million for the biennium. $72 million will pay for basic funding, Indian Education for All will get a little more than $3 million and the rest will go for special education and other programs.
There was an unsuccessful attempt to undo a 2003 provision that required districts to pay for retirement costs for federally funded programs. Also on the chopping block was, HB 124 by Rep Tom Facey which would have formed an insurance pool and helped pay for health care costs for school employees.
Will your property taxes go up? That depends if your district is gaining or losing students. According to Allison Farrell of the Lee Newspapers State Bureau, owners of a $100,000 house will pay up to $8/year more or as much as $9 less, depending on the district.
FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN
HB 47 by Rep Kathleen Galvin-Halcro (D-Great Falls) promoted full day kindergarten. Teachers say it allows them more time to teach an expanded required lesson plan, in a more relaxed manner. During one of the legislature¹s you-had-to-be-there-to-believe-it hearings, opponents argued that more time at kindergarten is a communist plot to support abortion, and teach evolution and alternative lifestyles. While these claims weren¹t taken real seriously, 10 million was not to be had in the midst of other school funding requests.
HUMAN RIGHTS
There were attempts to include lesbians & gay men into anti discrimination and hate crimes laws. Other bills would have legalized civil unions and allowed a next of kin registry. Listening to the debate, you wouldn¹t have noticed that the hate crimes bill would have included women and people with disabilities. You could have missed that unmarried elders could have registered as next of kin. Lawmakers are behind their constituents on this, and voted down any measure they thought would benefit the LGBT community.
As always, the religious right came out in force on these bills. Dallas Erickson, from Montanans for Decency Through Law, has a list of 30 sexual fetishes that he has read at hearing after hearing. This session, he focused on his three favorite, bestiality, pedophilia, and necrophilia, which are of course, are all orientations too. During a House floor debate on the hate crimes statute, Rep John Sinrud (R-Bozeman) gave a Bible reading & insisted that when he sang hymns with his infant son at a gay pride march, they could have been arrested for a hate crime.
We did move legislation farther this session. The rabid right was taken a little less seriously. The point is to keep the public discussion going--build allies, keep coming out, continue to speak against homophobia. Eventually the legislature will move with the public.
WOULD IT PLEASE THE COURT--NOT
Sen Joe Balyeat (R-Bozeman) sponsored a series of bills to overhaul the Montana Supreme Court. Sen Balyeat figures that since we have a citizen legislature, we should have a citizen Supreme Court. He wanted to remove the requirement that they be attorneys, face term limits & be paid $20,000/year. When the court overturns a law passed by the legislature on constitutional grounds, the legislature should be able to veto it with a 2/3 vote.
Chief Justice Karla Gray turned down my offer of a part time job, feigning lack of experience. I figured that if I didn¹t have to be an attorney to sit on her Supreme Court, she wouldn¹t need to be a mechanic to work in my bicycle shop.
ELECTION LAW
An effective coalition spearheaded by the League of Conservation Voters, made substantial changes to election laws, making voting easier and more accessible--
* After registration closes, voters will be able to register and vote at the courthouse up to election day
* Voters may use their signature as their only ID on returned absentee ballots
* Absentee voters may request future absentee ballots instead of the current system of needing to request a ballot for each and every election.
* Voters won¹t have to reregister if they missed a federal election and want to vote in the next school, special or city election.
* Voting machines will be thoroughly tested and have a paper trail for recounts.
* Paper ballots will be used for all elections with an exception for people with disabilities using touching screen machines.
SB 319 by Sen Jon Ellingson would have allowed public funding for Supreme Court elections to insure a truly independent judiciary. It lost by a frustrating one vote during the last days of the legislature.
CHIP & TANF
Children¹s Health Insurance Program-CHIP
There were a total of six bills that intended to increase access to the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Tobacco tax money will be used to enroll more children. A policy change will allow more families to access Medicaid, leaving more slots in CHIP. Administrative costs will be lower and the enrollment form will be easier.
According to Rep Mary Caferro (D-Helena), who instigated many of these bills and was behind many of the detailed negotiations, 7,000 more low income children will be eligible for health insurance.
TANF-Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
HB 2 included a raise for welfare moms who now will care for their children at an amount equal to one third of the federal poverty level. That¹s a whopping $408/month for a family of three.
CHOICE
Every anti-choice bill was defeated this session and we even passed something progressive. In spite of those who said it will curtail free speech, or affect striking nurses, clinic protesters now have to stay at least 8 feet away from patients and staff. Congrats to Congrats to Rep Driscoll, NARAL & Planned Parenthood for moving this bill through the legislature.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Thanks to BPW for installing the Silent Witnesses in the Capitol. Their shadowy presence is a moving reminder to the ultimate effect of domestic violence.
The Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence secured more than $400,000 in new money and passed several new laws that will assist victims and hold perpetrators responsible. Well worth the increases cost to get married and divorced.
* Marriage license fees will go up $13 to fund parole officers who will make sure perpetrators will serve their sentences.
* ³Rape kits² will allow sexual assault evidence to be collected for later use, even if the survivor does not want to press charges immediately.
* Divorce filing fees will help fund legal representation for domestic violence
victims.
* Victims of domestic violence or stalking may ask the Attorney General¹s Office to hold a ³dummy address² to help insure their address will not be traced. Pass the word
* A minor cannot have reporting information used against her to charge her with minor in possession, removing one more obstacle to reporting.
* The law that allows unemployment benefits for victims of domestic violence, has expanded to include victims of sexual assault and/or stalking.
A bill that would have allowed same sex couples to be covered by the partner and family assault laws was voted down.
Opponents introduced the perennial ³Unborn Child Protection Act² to increase penalties for harming a fetus. Our side introduced a bill to enhance penalties for violence against pregnant women. Neither bill made it through.
Thanks to info from Kate Cholewa who did a dynamite job lobbying these bills.
It is hard to believe the session is over. I actually miss hauling around a 30 pound briefcase & running the Capitol steps two at a time. I¹ve had to relearn manners. I no longer corner people in hallways. I miss my daily fix from the information desk chocolate basket. But it is awfully nice to have a day off. See you at the next session.
Linda