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Montana State Senate

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Montana State Senate

Seal of Montana.jpg
General Information
Type:   Upper house
Term limits:   2 terms (8 years)
2012 session start:   No regular session in 2012
Website:   Official Senate Page
Leadership
Senate President:   Jim Peterson, (R)
Majority Leader:   Jeff Essmann, (R)
Minority leader:   Carol Williams, (D)
Structure
Members:  50
   Democratic Party (22)
Republican Party (28)
Length of term:   4 years
Authority:   Art V, Sec. 2, Montana Constitution
Salary:   $82.64/day + per diem
Elections
Last Election:  November 2, 2010 (25 seats)
Next election:  November 6, 2012 (25 seats)
Redistricting:   Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission
Meeting place:
Montanastatecapitol.jpg

Contents

The Montana Senate is the upper house of the Montana State Legislature. It consists of 50 senators representing districts with an average of 19,788 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 18,044 residents.[2]

Jim Peterson, a Republican, is the Montana Senate's president.

Montana state senators serve for four-year terms subject to a term limit of no more than two terms in office. Twenty-five of the state senate seats are up for election each even-numbered year.

There are 17 standing Senate committees which consider legislation on specific areas.

Sessions

Article V of the Montana Constitution establishes when the Montana State Legislature, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 6 of Article V states that the Legislature is to meet in every odd-numbered year in a regular session of at most ninety legislative days. However, Section 6 allows any Legislature to increase the limit on the length of any subsequent session. Section 6 also allows for the Legislature to meet in special session when convened by the Governor of Montana or when a special session is requested by a majority of the Legislature's members.

2012

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

In 2012, the Senate will not be in regular session.

2011

In 2011, the Senate was in session from January 3 through April 28. [3]

2010

In 2010, the Senate was not in session.[4]

2009

The 61st session of the Montana legislature convened on January 5, 2009 and adjourned on April 25, 2009.

Elections

2012

See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Montana State Senate will be held in Montana on November 6, 2012. A total of 25 seats will be up for election. The signature filing deadline is March 12, 2012 and the primary date is June 5 2012.

Montana state senators are subject to term limits, and may not serve more than two four-year terms. In 2012, 8 state senators will be termed-out.

2010

See also: Montana State Senate elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Montana State Senator were held in Montana on November 2, 2010.

The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was March 15, 2010. The primary election day was June 8, 2010.

Of Montana's 50 total seats, 25 were up for election. The 25 seats are representative of districts 1, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 20, 23, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 35, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 48, and 49.

In 2010, the candidates for state senate raised a total of $993,331 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [5]

Donor Amount
Noennig, Mark $20,000
Gallik, Dave $19,317
Priest, Jason S $17,873
Facey, Thomas $16,800
Comstock, Michael B $9,416
Samson, Bruce $7,245
Cohenour, Jill $6,439
Arthun, Ron $4,534
Page, Julia L $3,720
Henry, Teresa K $3,468

Qualifications

To be eligible to serve in the Montana State Senate, a candidate must be:[6]

  • A resident of the state for at least one year next preceding the general election
  • A resident of the county for six months preceding the general election if it contains one or more districts or of the district if it contains all or parts of more than one county.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures
How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures
NevadaMassachusettsColoradoNew MexicoWyomingArizonaMontanaCaliforniaOregonWashingtonIdahoTexasOklahomaKansasNebraskaSouth DakotaNorth DakotaMinnesotaIowaMissouriArkansasLouisianaMississippiAlabamaGeorgiaFloridaSouth CarolinaIllinoisWisconsinTennesseeNorth CarolinaIndianaOhioKentuckyPennsylvaniaNew JerseyNew YorkVermontVermontNew HampshireMaineWest VirginiaVirginiaMarylandMarylandConnecticutConnecticutDelawareDelawareRhode IslandRhode IslandMassachusettsNew HampshireMichiganMichiganAlaskaVacancy fulfillment map.png

If there is a vacancy in the Senate, the Board of County Commissioners that represent the vacant seat must select a replacement. The Secretary of State must notify the Board of Commissioners and the county central committee of the political party that holds the vacant seat no later than seven days after the vacancy happened. The county central committee has 45 days after receiving notice from the Secretary of State to provide a list of candidates to the Board of County Commissioners. The board must select a replacement no later than 15 days after receiving the list of candidates. If the Senate is in session, the selection must be made no later than five days after receiving a candidate list[7]. Any person selected to fill a Senate seat serves until the next scheduled general election[8].

Term limits

See also: State legislatures with term limits

The Montana legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Montana Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Missouri senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms, or a total of eight years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.[9]

Senators

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2010, members of the Montana Senate are paid $82.64/day. Per diem is $103.69/day.[10]

The $82.64/day that Montana senators are paid as of 2010 is a decrease over the $82.67/day they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem has increased from $98.75/day in 2007 to $103.69/day in 2010.[11]

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Party As of May 2012
     Democratic Party 22
     Republican Party 28
Total 50


Leadership

At the beginning of each regular legislative session the Senate elects the President and President pro tempore. It then chooses its other officers.[12][13]

Current leadership

Position Representative Party
President of the Senate Jim Peterson Ends.png Republican
State senate President Pro Tempore Bruce Tutvedt Ends.png Republican
State Senate Majority Leader Jeff Essmann Ends.png Republican
State Senate Majority Whip Taylor Brown Ends.png Republican
State Senate Majority Whip Chas Vincent Ends.png Republican
State Senate Minority Leader Carol Williams Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Minority Whip Kim Gillan Electiondot.png Democratic

2010 Leadership

Position Representative Party
President of the Senate Robert Story Ends.png Republican
State senate President Pro Tempore Daniel McGee Ends.png Republican
State Senate Majority Leader Jim Peterson Ends.png Republican
State Senate Majority Whip Roy Brown Ends.png Republican
State Senate Majority Whip Gregory Barkus Ends.png Republican
State Senate Minority Leader Carol Williams Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Assistant Minority Leader Vacant Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Minority Whip Trudi Schmidt Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Minority Whip Kim Gillan Electiondot.png Democratic

List of current members

Members of the 2009 Montana Senate, Photo by George Lane from the Montana Senate website
District Representative Party
1 Chas Vincent Ends.png Republican
2 Ryan Zinke Ends.png Republican
3 Bruce Tutvedt Ends.png Republican
4 Jon Sonju Ends.png Republican
5 Verdell Jackson Ends.png Republican
6 Carmine Mowbray Ends.png Republican
7 Greg Hinkle Ends.png Republican
8 Shannon Augare Electiondot.png Democratic
9 Rick Ripley Ends.png Republican
10 Brad Hamlett Electiondot.png Democratic
11 Anders Blewett Electiondot.png Democratic
12 Mitch Tropila Electiondot.png Democratic
13 Edward Buttrey Ends.png Republican
14 Llew Jones Ends.png Republican
15 Jim Peterson Ends.png Republican
16 Jonathan Windy Boy Electiondot.png Democratic
17 Craig Tilleman Ends.png Republican
18 John Brenden Ends.png Republican
19 Donald Steinbeisser Ends.png Republican
20 Frederick "Eric" Moore Ends.png Republican
21 Sharon Stewart-Peregoy Electiondot.png Democratic
22 Taylor Brown Ends.png Republican
23 Alan Olson Ends.png Republican
24 Kim Gillan Electiondot.png Democratic
25 Kendall Van Dyk Electiondot.png Democratic
26 Lynda Moss Electiondot.png Democratic
27 Gary Branae Electiondot.png Democratic
28 Jeff Essmann Ends.png Republican
29 Edward Walker Ends.png Republican
30 Jason Priest Ends.png Republican
31 Ron Arthun Ends.png Republican
32 Larry Jent Electiondot.png Democratic
33 Robert Hawks Electiondot.png Democratic
34 Joe Balyeat Ends.png Republican
35 Art Wittich Ends.png Republican
36 Debby Barrett Ends.png Republican
37 Steve Gallus Electiondot.png Democratic
38 Jim Keane Electiondot.png Democratic
39 Terry Murphy Ends.png Republican
40 Mary Caferro Electiondot.png Democratic
41 Christine Kaufmann Electiondot.png Democratic
42 Dave Lewis Ends.png Republican
43 Gene Vuckovich Electiondot.png Democratic
44 Bob Lake Ends.png Republican
45 Jim Shockley Ends.png Republican
46 Carol Williams Electiondot.png Democratic
47 Ron Erickson Electiondot.png Democratic
48 Tom Facey Electiondot.png Democratic
49 David Wanzenried Electiondot.png Democratic
50 Clifford Larsen Electiondot.png Democratic

Standing Senate Committees

Montana State Senate has 17 standing committees:

External links

References

  1. ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
  2. ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
  3. ↑ Montana Legislature
  4. ↑ Session information for Montana Legislature
  5. ↑ Follow the Money: "Montana Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
  6. ↑ Montana State Constitution - Qualifications for running for legislature
  7. ↑ Montana Legislature "Montana Election Law"(Referenced Statute 5-2-402 (3) (a)-(c))
  8. ↑ Montana Legislature "Montana Election Law"(Referenced Statute 5-2-405 (1)-(2))
  9. ↑ State legislative term limits
  10. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislator Compensation Data"
  11. ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
  12. ↑ 2009 Montana Senate Rules - Chapter 1 Administration
  13. ↑ Montana Senate leadership list
v • d • e
Republican majority Current members of the Montana State Senate
President: Jim Peterson • President Pro Tempore: Bruce Tutvedt • Majority Leader: Jeff Essmann • Minority Leader: Carol Williams
   
Democratic (22) • Republican (28) • Montana State Senate • Montana House of Representatives
v • d • e
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