Around the West, politicians are writing more bills than ever
The legislative sessions in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Washington are over. Depending on your political perspective, the benefits — or damages — will be felt for years to come.
One thing that isn't in dispute? Lawmakers couldn't help but introduce a record number of bills in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Washington may also be added to that list, depending on what happens in the second part of its biennium.
In Idaho, lawmakers introduced nearly 800 pieces of legislation — the highest mark going back at least 16 years. Less than 50% of the legislation actually made it across the finish line.
Higher numbers are expected in Idaho, as lawmakers now individually introduce and approve every state department budget, rather than just one large state budget.
Still, the numbers are staggering, not only for lawmakers who work at the state capitol, but also for citizens who try to follow the session and be involved in the process. Making it more challenging in Idaho is the sometimes minimal lack of notice regarding hearings for bills that have been introduced. We've recommended that lawmakers commit to a Rule of Three to allow citizens more time to be engaged.
In Montana, lawmakers also hit a record of 1,761 bills introduced, with a little more than half being signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte.
Montana's joint Rule 40-40 'allows members of the Montana Legislature to request an unlimited number of bill or resolution drafts before December 5. After that date, a member may request the Legislative Council to prepare no more than seven bills or resolutions. Unused requests by one member may be granted to another member. The limits do not apply to code commissioner bills or committee bills.'
In Wyoming, which divides sessions among general session years and budget years, lawmakers also hit a record of 556 bills introduced. But only 31% became law.
Washington state lawmakers were by far the least productive, passing only 19.5% of the more than 2,000 bills they introduced. And they're not done yet, as Washington works on a biennium and lawmakers will return next January to continue increasing the number.
Passing legislation certainly isn't a contest. And this column is in no way an encouragement to increase the across-the-finish-line percentages.
But it is worth pointing out that introducing legislation takes time and resources - resources that are provided by taxpayers (so perhaps a new state rock shouldn't be high on a lawmaker's list). More bill introductions also make tracking your elected official's work more difficult.
Some states, including Arizona, California, New Jersey, Colorado, North Carolina, Florida, North Dakota, Indiana, Louisiana and Montana have sought to restrict how many bills a legislator can introduce each session.
Do all states need a rule that limits a lawmaker's appetite for more and more legislation? Maybe. But we'd rather see a self-imposed diet.
Chris Cargill is the president of Mountain States Policy Center, an independent free market think tank based in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and eastern Washington. Online at mountainstatespolicy.org.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
24 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
California moving forward with partisan redistricting effort to counter Texas' move
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The Democrats' proposed maps still haven't been released. That's expected on Friday. Then, lawmakers plan to quickly approve them next week. Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers. Advertisement Newsom, who is seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, urged Trump in a letter earlier this week to abandon his scheme, telling the president he is 'playing with fire' and 'risking the destabilization of our democracy.' The California map would only take effect if Texas and other states move forward with their own redistricting efforts, and they would remain through the 2030 elections. After that, Democrats say they would return mapmaking power to an independent redistricting commission approved by voters more than a decade ago. Advertisement There are 435 seats in the U.S. House and Republicans currently hold an 219-212 majority, with four vacancies. New maps are typically drawn once a decade after the census is conducted. Many states give legislators the power to draw maps but some, like California, rely on an independent commission that is supposed to be nonpartisan. The Thursday announcement marks the first time any state beyond Texas is officially wading into the mid-decade redistricting fight, kicking off a national standoff that could continue spilling into other states. California Democrats face more complex legal and logistical hurdles than Republicans do in Texas. It's not clear how voters would respond to the mid-decade effort after they voted to give the power of drawing congressional maps to an independent commission in 2010. In Texas, that power lies with the Republican-controlled Legislature. Some already said they would sue to block the effort, and influential voices including former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may campaign against it. 'Gavin Newsom's latest stunt has nothing to do with Californians and everything to do with consolidating radical Democrat power, silencing California voters, and propping up his pathetic 2028 presidential pipe dream,' National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez said in a statement. 'Newsom's made it clear: he'll shred California's Constitution and trample over democracy - running a cynical, self-serving playbook where Californians are an afterthought and power is the only priority.' California Democrats already hold 43 of the state's 52 House seats, and the state has some of the most competitive House seats. Advertisement Elsewhere, leaders from red Florida to blue New York are threatening to write their own new maps, bucking the standard once-a-decade redistricting process that happens after the census. But none have moved as far as Texas and, soon, California, in advancing new maps. Missouri lawmakers are waiting for Gov. Mike Kehoe to call a special session to draw more favorable Republican maps, and a document obtained by The Associated Press shows the state Senate has received a $46,000 invoice to activate six redistricting software licenses and provide training for up to 10 staff members.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nevada Assembly speaker, majority leader to leave office
(The Center Square) — Nevada's top two ranking Assembly Democrats will exit their offices when the term ends, leaving a power void in the Legislature's lower chamber. The announcements come in the wake of a presidential election that saw Nevadans break a four-time Democratic streak and vote Republican President Donald Trump into office. Democrats control a majority in the state Assembly and Senate, but lack enough seats to override vetoes by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. 'After careful reflection, I've decided not to seek re-election to District 41,' Assembly Leader Sandra Jauregui, D-Las Vegas, said in a statement. 'I'm incredibly proud of what my colleagues and I have accomplished together from strengthening our gun safety laws, investing in affordable housing to creating good-paying jobs.' 'I am grateful for the trust the voters placed in me over the past five election cycles,' added Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, also D-Las Vegas, in the same statement by the Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus. 'I am proud of all that we were able to accomplish together.' The two state political leaders will have each served 10 years in office when they leave at the end of 2026. Before their victories in 2016, neither had held a public office. They rose to majority leader and speaker in 2023. The Assembly leadership shake-up adds to existing political uncertainty in the Silver State, which voted to elect a Republican presidential candidate in 2024, for the first time since the state helped to re-elect George W. Bush in 2004. Gov. Lombardo, meanwhile, received mixed results in a recent poll that said only 38% of people rated his time in office as good or excellent. His biggest opponent, Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat running for governor, has received widespread support from state Democrats. Yeager and Jauregui told the Nevada Independent that their decision to leave office was for personal reasons. Jauregui said she was looking to recharge, and Yeager cited the assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, his friend and a fellow Democrat. But both lawmakers left the door open for future government positions. Jauregui said she imagined a long career in politics, and Yeager said he was considering a 2026 election run for state treasurer. 'I am committed to continuing to contribute to this great state that has given me so much,' said Yeager in the statement. 'Though my time in the Legislature is ending, [I] will continue to find opportunities to serve Nevadans and fight for the values we share,' said Jauregui. Both of the legislators' districts are in the Democratic heart of Nevada, Las Vegas. Twenty-seven of the 42 current state Assembly members are Democrats. Nevada Assembly members receive $130 per day in session, equivalent to less than $25,000 for the regular 180-day session, which takes place once every two years. The next Assembly session kicks off in February 2027, although special sessions for lawmakers to vote on specific bills are expected to take place before then.
Politico
4 hours ago
- Politico
New York's Kathy Hochul faces a crime conundrum ahead of reelection
Hochul has successfully pressed fellow Democrats to change the law with provisions expanding the criminal charges in which a person can be held and giving more discretion to judges . This year, she won alterations to the state's discovery law that district attorneys wanted in order to reduce the number of dismissals in criminal cases. Hochul would also rather talk about an all-time low in New York City shootings and drop in felony crimes on subways — statistics she can tout as evidence her public safety approach is working. 'The Legislature has made three necessary fixes to bail since 2019, many crimes are at a historic low and Elise Stefanik is disconnected from reality,' said Democratic state Sen. James Skoufis, who also pointed to a recent New York Post frontpage trumpeting the sharp drop in shootings. (A Stefanik spokesperson called him 'clueless.') But New York Democrats are also warily watching the president's takeover of the Washington police department and move to deploy the National Guard to the streets of the nation's capital. Hochul this week also condemned the possibility that Trump, a Stefanik ally, would deploy the National Guard to New York City. 'If he crosses that bright line and decides that the 32,000 dedicated members of the NYPD are not doing their jobs — he's going to stand there and insult our law enforcement officers — I think people would be in outrage of that alone,' she said. The governor approved her own limited deployment of the New York National Guard to the city's subway system. The troops do not have arrest powers, but the move was meant to reinforce the perception of safety on mass transit. 'I've used them as a deterrent effect to stand there and just be a presence,' Hochul said. Democrats, though, are in something of a political cul-de-sac on crime, despite the steep drops in violent offenses. 'It's an issue that Democrats have failed to take any serious action on,' Erie County GOP Chair Michael Kracker said. 'The Republican Party has pledged to make the nation and the state safer. If Democrats fail to take action, Republicans will.' Citing crime statistics won't be enough for New Yorkers who don't feel safe in their own neighborhoods, he added. 'Ask your average New Yorker if they feel safer than they have over the last few years,' Kracker said. 'The answer is going to be a resounding no.' A version of this story first appeared in New York Playbook.
