Montana Public Affairs Report, November 1967

University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Montana Public Affairs Report Economics 11-1967 Montana Public Affairs Report, November 1967 University of Montana (Missoula, Mont. : 1965-1994). Bureau of Government Research. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/mtpa-report Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation University of Montana (Missoula, Mont. : 1965-1994). Bureau of Government Research., "Montana Public Affairs Report, November 1967" (1967). Montana Public Affairs Report. 1. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/mtpa-report/1 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Economics at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Montana Public Affairs Report by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ® REPORT Number !--November 1967 UNIVE ~.3;;·r CF MONTANA r 3 !fA. '12/o 1" "' DF - ,·1 . ;._;,...,1•) ') L .""' 7 ~o./'d ~ The 1967 Montana Legislative Assemql,~RA RY · A/011. /q(o7 This report initiates a series which will be issued The Tax Issue bimonthly during the academic year. Governor Babcock surprised the Assembly with his proposal to meet increased expenditure needs with a general three percent sales tax. The Republi Any of three distinctive aspects of the Fortieth can House majority supported the proposal, calling it Montana Legislative Assembly would assure its place an "education tax." With a 64-40 majority, Republi in the legislative history of the Treasure State. cans adopted a sales tax bill despite defection of a few 1) As the result of judicial reapportionment the of their members. But Senate Democrats had warned Assembly elected in November 1966 was the first in the House leadership early in the session that they half a century to be chosen, in either of its houses, might reject such a measure, and they did, holding according to modern standards of equitable repre their slender 30-25 majority to a man. Eventually sentation. It was also the first since 1889 to be the Democratic legislators prevailed in their insist elected in its entirety without hold-over Senators. ence that the state's revenue needs should be met in 2) A responsible political leader-Republican Gov some other way; the minimum personal income tax ernor Tim Babcock-finally grasped the sales-tax rate was raised from 1.1 percent to 2 percent on the nettle to propose its adoption in one of the few states first thousand dollars of taxable income; with pro where resort to that tax is still an issue. This ended portionate increases in intermediate brackets, the a suspenseful silence, but evoked a sharply partisan rate on income over $25,000 was raised from 7.9 per response, for the governor enjoyed a sympathetic cent to 10 percent. Corporate income taxes were party majority only in the House of Representatives. raised one-fourth of one percent, to 5.5 percent. An Democrats controlled the Senate. other half-cent was added to the state's six-cent gaso 3) Partisan deadlock between the chambers over line tax, and truck license fees were increased, along the sales tax issue pervaded the sixty calendar-day with maximum allowable tonnages for commercial regular session and eventually forced the governor to truckers. call the first extraordinary session in more than The sales tax proposal may persist as a critical thirty years. In the sixteen day special session con political issue in 1968 after a legislative session in vened at the end of the regular session, Democratic which the Republican governor and most Republican Senate leaders blocked the sal~s tax and persuaded legislators supported such a tax while Democratic the legislature to meet the need for increased state legislators, without puq~k exception, opposed it. revenues by increasing income, gasoline and truck taxes. Legislative input and output of the 1967 session Reapportionment exceeded previous records, even before the special In July 1965, a three-judge federal district court session was convened. There were 828 bills and 131 reapportfoned the Montana Legislative Assembly resolutions introduced, and 362 statutes (including (Herweg v. 39th Montana Legislative Assembly, 246 appropriations acts) and 34 resolutions were adopted. Fed. Supp. 454) and adjusted the fifty year old boun The special session was concerned almost exclusively dary between the state's two congressional districts with enactment of four major revenue acts and (Roberts v. Babcock, 246 Fed. Supp. 396). twenty-one major appropriations. Having successfully managed election under the General fund appropriations of $123.8 million for new system, the 1967 legislators showed little dispo the 1967-1969 biennium represent an increase of 27 sition to tamper with the court's plan and gave both percent over the previous two years. State support reapportionments the sanction of statutory enact for public schools under the foundation program ment. Where each of the 56 counties had elected one would amount to $59.1 million, an increase of 9.2 per senator and at least one representative, numerous cent over actual state support in 1965-1967, and the counties of small population were joined to create six-unit University system was authorized to spend senate and representative districts of two to four $45.8 million, including $36 million from state general counties, for election of one or two legislators. Popu funds, an increase of 45.7 percent over the appropria lous counties have from two to six senators, and as tions of the previous biennium. many as twelve representatives. All senators and a~-tJ.'7 75? /1 '"1 & I./ (JO. 1-15 i qG 7-J&i7J representatives were elected at-large within the new Constitutional Reform county-wide or multiple-county districts. A consti tutional amendment adopted in 1966 permitted sub Three dozen amendments have extended the fabric division of counties into single-member districts, but of the 1889 state constitution without working major the 1967 Assembly revealed little interest in such changes in its design or in the powers of government arrangements. in Montana. The document protects a number of Reapportionment shifted representation among the powerful economic interests and there has been little public discussion of general constitutional revision major regions of the state. Eleven Pacific-slope forest in Montana. Thus Governor Babcock startled many, and mining counties gained six senators and seven a few weeks after his defeat for the United States representatives, entirely at the expense of twenty-six Senate last November, by suggesting to a wool southern rangeland counties. Nineteen northern growers meeting that the time had come "to deter cropland counties east of the Continental Divide re mine if a constitutional convention is needed to tained their regional share of senators and gained update our constitution to fit today's fast-moving five representatives. Since each of the regions con needs." He did not repeat the suggestion in his greet tains one or more major urban centers, there were ing to the 1967 legislature, a month later, but several also local shifts of representation from rural to urban legislators introduced proposals for a constitutional counties within each of the three regions. commission or a legislative committee to study the Despite election of the entire Senate in 1966, that problem. Late in the session the Legislative Council body was rich in legislative experience; 30 of its 55 was directed to conduct an interim study of the need members had served in at least three previous legis for revision of the state's aging- charter. ' lative sessions and only 13 were first-term legislators. Of these, as might be expected, 10 were elected in The constitution limits to three the number of populous counties which elected more than one sen amendments the legislature may submit for ratifica ator for the first time. The House, always less exper tion in any general election. The 1967 Assembly pro ienced, had 46 first term members, somewhat more posed that this number be increased to six, and the than the long-range average but not more than in vote on ratification of this "gateway" amendment 1961 when Republicans also recaptured control after will occur in November 1968. If adopted, it would three sessions of Democratic House dominance. substantially broaden the possibility of constitutional Ranchers, stockmen and grain farmers have tradi revision without the calling of a convention. A sec tionally comprised the largest occupational groups ond amendment on the ballot next November would in the Montana legislature. Reapportionment re remove the constitutional prohibition against legis duced their total share by about eight percent in each lative increase of salaries of public officials during chamber, to 40 percent of the Senate and 31 percent their elected or appointive term of office. of the House, as compared with 1965. Professions gained about eight percent in the 1967 Senate and industry-related occupations by about the same mar Legislative Processes gin in the House, compared to 1965. An interesting but only superficially curious feature of the 1966 elec On the eve of the 1967 session citizen conferences tions was the substantial number of farmers and and the press remarked on the legislature's need for ranchers elected from districts predominantly urban. more time to conduct its work, and a number of pro Reapportionment worked no basic changes in kind posals were introduced to lengthen the biennial ses of employment and affluence as selective factors in sion, or to make sessions annual. Eventually the legislative recruitment. Assembly proposed a constitutional amendment to Reapportionment seems to have had little effect on lengthen the biennial session to eighty days; the pro more or less traditional patterns of partisan political posal will be on the November 1968 ballot for ratif~ control in the legislature.

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