Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association
News Alert
2011 Legislative Leadership 101
On November 17, Montana legislators meet in Helena in party caucuses to
elect their leadership for the 2011 legislative session. Republicans hold the
majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate so that party
provided the leadership for both chambers. Below is a list of the leaders and
a short description of their responsibilities.
Senate
President: Jim Peterson, R-Buffalo—He will: preside over the proceedings of the Senate, maintain order and decide questions of order and privilege
and decide the order of business; approve the calendar; is ultimately responsible for administration, budget approval, and management of the Senate and
its staff.
Majority Leader: Sen. Jeff Essmann, R-Billings—He is the leader of the
party that has the most members in the Senate and is the lead speaker in floor
debate. He makes procedural motions during floor sessions and assists the
President of the Senate with monitoring the progress of and scheduling of
bills and with polity and position development. He is also an ex officio member of all committees and, if present, may be counted toward establishing a
quorum.
President Pro-Tem: Sen. Bruce Tutvedt, R-Kalispell—He will preside over
the proceedings in the Senate when the president is absent or disqualified.
Minority Leader: Sen. Carol Williams, D-Missoula—she is the leader of the
party with the second largest number of members and develops the minority
position and negotiates with the majority party. She is also an ex officio
member of all committees and, if present, may be counted toward establishing a quorum.
Republican Whips or Majority Whips: Sen. Taylor Brown, Huntley; and
Sen. Chas Vincent, Libby—the whips help the majority leader and ensure that
members are present at moments of importance to the party and for other
duties related to helping the party accomplish its goals and further it positions.
Democratic Whip or Minority Whip: Sen. Kim Gillan, Billings—she will
help the minority leader and ensure that members are present at moments of
importance to the party and for other duties related to helping the party accomplish its goals and further it positions.
Committee on Committees: Sens. Joe Balyeat, R-Bozeman, John Brenden,
R-Scobey, Dave Lewis, R-Helena; Rick Ripley, R-Wolf Creek; Jim Shockley,
R-Victor; and Donald Steinbeisser, R-Sidney—This committee will assign
committee chairs and determine committee member make up.
(House listing continued on Page 2)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Pre Legislative Dinners
November 30, 2010 - 6:00 pm
Borries, Great Falls
December 1, 2010 - 6:00 pm
Jagz Restaurant, Kalispell
December 2, 2010 - 6:00 pm
The Depot, Missoula
December 8, 2010 - 6:00 pm
Metals Sports Bar and Grill, Butte
December 9, 2010 - 12:00 pm
Riverside Country Club, Bozeman
December 9, 2010 - 6:00 pm
Petroleum Club, Billings
December 15, 2010 - 6:00 pm
Silver Star Steakhouse, Helena
January 3-4, 2011
Montana Chamber of Commerce
Business Days at the Capitol
Montana Beer & Wine
Distributors Association
Executive Director/Lobbyist
Kristi Blazer
145 Bridge Street
Craig, MT 59865
(406) 235-4000
(406) 459-1318 (Cell)
Administrative Support
Verna Boucher
3956 Topaz Court
Helena, MT 59602
(406) 442-4451
(406) 459-3630 (Cell)
Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association
News Alert
House
Speaker of the House: Mike Milburn, R-Cascade—He will preside over the proceedings of the House,
maintain order and decide questions of order; ultimately responsible for administration, budget approval, and
management of the House and its Staff; sets the agendas for second and third reading, subject to amendment by
the House.
Majority Leader: Rep. Tom McGillvray, R—Billings—He is the leader of the party that has the most members in the Senate and is the lead speaker in floor debate; makes procedural motions during floor session and
assists the speaker with monitoring the progress of and scheduling of bills and with policy development. He is
an ex officio member of all committees and, if present, may be counted toward establishing a quorum..
Speaker Pro Tem: Rep. Janna Taylor, R- Dayton—He will preside over the House proceedings when the
speaker is absent or unable and carries out other duties assigned by the Speaker.
Minority Leader: Re/ Jon Sesso, D– Butte—He is the leader of the party that has the second largest number
of members, develops the minority position, negotiates with the majority party and makes recommendations for
the assignment of minority committee members and minority vice presiding offices. He is an ex officio member of all committees and, if present, may be counted toward establishing a quorum.
.
Caucus Leader: Rep. Betsy Hands, D-Missoula
Republican Whip or Majority Whips: Rep. Gerald Bennett, Libby; Rep. Keith Regier, Kalispell; Rep. Cary
Smith, Billings; and Rep. Wendy Warburton, Havre—they are responsible for ensuring that members are present at moments of importance to the party and for other duties related to helping the party accomplish its
goals and further its position. Absentee vote forms are submitted to a party whip.
Democratic Whips or Minority Whips: Rep. Chuck Hunter, Helena; and Rep. Margaret MacDonald, Billings—they are responsible for ensuring that members are present at moments of importance to the party and
for other duties related to helping the party accomplish its goals and further its position. Absentee vote forms
are submitted to a party whip.
Refresher on Discussing the “Wins” In Washington
NBWA advises that when discussing the ―win‖ on the Washington initiatives, stress that this was a victory
for the public interest in maintaining state based alcohol regulation.
If the accusation should arise that ―Big Beer‖ is behind the opposition of these initiatives, they recommend
responding that we are proud to have been able to put up money for this issue—otherwise the huge box retailers like Costco would have been able to roll over the small businesses which would have been hurt by deregulation. Those small businesses include small wineries, small breweries, locally owned grocery and convenience
stores, and the Mom and Pop neighborhood stores. The small businesses and the public interest groups are
without much in the way of resources needed to get their viewpoint aired. The public interests group’s funds
should be going to further their assistance to their communities not fighting the big box stores’ assertion that
convenience should trump common sense.