Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” ~ John Adams
MT Lawmaker “They wanted us to play make believe”
| Dear Friend, We have a few quick updates this week for those of you who are using our Capitol Tracker digital guide to keep tabs on the 2023 legislative session. Most notably we’ve added dedicated pages for each of the Legislature’s 30-plus committees.For those unfamiliar with the ins and outs of the Legislature, committees are subgroups of the 100-member House and 50-member Senate that serve as first lines of review for bills in a particular subject area, determining which ideas advance to full-fledged floor debate. Committee bill hearings also provide the primary avenue for public participation in the Legislature, giving non-legislators a chance to testify for or against specific measures.The Capitol Tracker’s committee pages list the bills assigned to each legislative subgroup, detailing which are scheduled for hearings or awaiting the votes that will determine their fate. So if you’re following, say, the fraught moral debates that play out in House Judiciary, wildlife management bills before Senate Fish & Game, or budget bills moving through House Appropriations, there’s a specific link to help you follow along. You can find a full list of committees on the tracker’s House or Senate directory pages.We’ve also made several other additions to the guide, some in response to suggestions from thoughtful readers. We’re building out our list of reporter-identified key bills, for example. We’ve also added links to proposed bill amendments and revised the guide’s calendar page to make it clearer which committees meet in the morning and which ones meet in the afternoon.None of those additions is necessarily earth-shattering on its own. But if I’ve learned anything building out this guide (and using it myself as I cover the session) it’s that incremental improvements add up, each one bringing us a bit closer to having the best-possible tool for making sense of the Capitol’s helter skelter.Stay tuned for more here. And as always, give me a shout if you have questions, suggestions or bug reports at edietrich@montanafreepress.org. Eric Dietrich Deputy Editor |
ACTION! ACTION! ACTION!
Representative government works best when you have a relationship with the people who represent you. After all, they can’t represent you unless they know who you are and what you care about. Here’s a simple way to tell them.
Please write a ‘Thank You’ note to your elected representatives and senators at the state and federal level. Welcome them to the new legislative session, it introduces you as their constituent, lets them know you are a Christian, reminds them of the biblical values you embrace, and pledges your prayer support during their term.
Legistats SENATE Rankings (Is YOUR senator representing YOU?)
REPRESENTATIVE ~HOUSE DISTRICT 10
Mark Lee Noland
P.O. Box 1852
Bigfork MT 59911-1852
(406) 253-8982
E-mail: Mark Nolan
REPRESENTATIVE ~ HOUSE DISTRICT 12
Linda Reksten
Republican
118 Long Lake Drive
Polson MT 59860
(406) 471-8359
E-mail: Linda Reksten
REPRESENTATIVE ~ HOUSE DISTRICT 15
Weatherwax (D)
P.O. BOX 2828
BROWNING, MT 59417
(406) 338-7741
E-mail: Marvin Weatherwax
REPRESENTATIVE ~ HOUSE DISTRICT 93
JOE READ (R)
35566Terrace Lake
Ronan, MT 59864
(406) 676-0200
Website
Email: Joe.Read@legmt.gov
SENATE ~ DISTRICT 5
BOB KEENAN
Elected: 6 Nov 2018
Term: 2019 to 2022
PO BOX 697
Bigfork, MT 59911
(406) 250-4111
E-mail: Keenan@mtleg.gov
SENATE ~ DISTRICT 6
GREG HERTZ
Republican
Term: 2020 to 2024
P.O. BOX 1747
Polson, MT 59860
(406) 253-9505
E-mail: hertz@mtleg.gov
SENATE ~ DISTRICT 8
Susan Webber
Democrat
Term: 2019 to 2022
PO BOX 1011
Browning, MT 59417
(406) 450-1894 | E-mail: nitzitapii@gmail.com
SENATE ~ DISTRICT 47
Dan Salomon
Republican
Term: 2019-2024
42470 Salomon Road
Ronan MT 59864
(406) 253-9724
E-mail: salomon@mtleg.gov
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES!
See if your state has already passed a related bill, or has one in the works.
- Find your State Representatives. You can find your State Senators and Representatives below.
- Call and Email
- Know your information.
- Be kind and confident.
- Follow-up via call and email.
Hello, does Representative ______ have any plans to propose or support _________ legislation? This is very important to me. I did my research and saw we have/have not passed a bill on this topic in the past. I am hopeful that we will see a bill that protects all citizens from _______, not just specific industries, or whatever is appropriate to your concern. Please respond and let me know what has happened on this particular bill/subject. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Your Name
