Striving to please the governor

With the state’s two-year budget agreement on the governor’s desk and the state Capitol building returning to its usual quite self, the 64th Legislature has come to a close. Although the Legislature’s work is complete, the final days of the session were certainly no walk in the park, with budget and infrastructure negotiations that had been weeks in the making falling apart at the last minute. This should serve as lesson to future legislatures of how not to do the people’s business.

Unlike past sessions, legislators negotiating the state’s budget and infrastructure package this year chose to hold a number of meetings in private to speak frankly with each other in order to strike a deal that keeps the governor happy. These “core” negotiators were a random mixture of committee chairs, Senate and House leadership, and others, but with no official structure for public imputs or knowledge of what was going on. And as we saw in the final days of the session, their closed-door meetings fell far short of their goal.

Many members of both the House and Senate Republican caucuses felt blindsided by the deals struck during these negotiations. And rightly so, as it appeared to many of us legislators that the deal was simply meant to please the governor.

One of the largest sticking points was the nearly $150 million infrastructure bill that includes what many felt were “wants” rather than “needs” — like the $19 million for renovations to Romney Hall at Montana State University and $30 million for a new museum in Helena. I myself strongly question this proposal that cherry-picked rather than prioritized, and thus does not spread resources in an equitable or efficient manner.

For example, under Senate Bill 416, Western Montana is set to receive $76 million in funds for a variety of projects primarily in university and college cities. Communities in Eastern Montana on the other hand have to submit grant requests and the maximum grant allowed is capped at $3.75 million. The inequity of this bill is not fair to the people of Montana, and smells exactly like a back-room deal.

I often hear legislators say that we should do what the people of Montana expect us to do. I, however, hold a different view. It is our jobs as legislators to do our due diligence and prioritize the public’s resources. Our state has a large and diverse set of interests. What some expect out of the legislature is often at odds with what others expect. We have to find a balance for the competing interests of our state.

As this was my final session in the Montana Legislature, I would ask future legislatures to avoid these closed-door negotiations and perform the process in public as our constitution intended. I can certainly respect and understand the value of frank conversations, but when the public and even members of the legislature are excluded from the process, you can expect the deals made to be biased, and the people to be unhappy.

There are many lessons to be learned from the 2015 legislative session, and I hope that my colleagues will remember how events transpired over the past few weeks. It’s important for all legislators to remember that they are not elected to please the governor’s office, and that is certainly not why I was elected.

Crafting a smart and sustainable budget that is best for all Montanans is what we were elected to do, and I can say with absolute confidence that this is a task best performed in eye of the public.

Sen. Debby Barrett, R-Dillon, is an eight-term lawmaker representing Senate District 36 in the Montana Legislature. She serves as Senate President for the 64th Legislative Session.