Latest news with #Kassmier
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Montana Republican Party censures nine GOP senators; no longer considers them Republicans
Senator-elect Josh Kassmier, a former House representative from Fort Benton, at a Senate Republican caucus meeting on Nov. 12, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan) The Montana Republican Party has censured nine state senators and will no longer consider them to be Republicans — but the senators say they hold firm to the conservative mantle and the party should not insert itself into legislative business. In a press release sent April 4, the party's executive committee announced it had censured the nine senators for their 'repeated alignment with Senate Democrats' this legislative session and for 'undermining Republican priorities and leadership.' The censure calls out the nine's 'unprecedented alliance' with Senate Democrats as a 'coordinated scheme' to undermine the GOP leadership, including alleging ethical violations by Senate President Matt Regier, found to be unsubstantiated by the Legislative Auditor. The committee unanimously voted for the censure on March 27 to the surprise Friday of at least four of the nine. 'I'm dumbfounded,' said Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester. 'I've been a Republican longer than ( state GOP Executive Director Tyler) Newcombe's been alive.' In an extensive letter to the head of the state GOP, obtained by the Daily Montanan, Sen. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, said his responsibility is to the people of Montana, 'not party bosses like you.' The letter was an attempt to argue against the potential censure, and Kassmier emailed it to GOP Chairman Don Kaltschmidt on March 27. However, Kassmier said he learned Friday that Kaltschmidt did not receive the letter; Newcombe also said neither he nor Kaltschmidt have seen the letter, but they made attempts to meet with the nine. None of the nine showed up to the executive committee meeting on March 27; several cited conflicts while others said they had never received invitations. In the letter, Kassmier said he is a conservative who supports the agenda of Republican President Donald Trump. Kassmier also accuses Senate President Regier, R-Kalispell, of 'playing political games' to undermine Gov. Greg Gianforte's agenda and of working with Democrats. 'I support the conservative tax plans endorsed by Gov. Gianforte. I oppose the liberal tax plans pushed by President Regier,' the letter said. ' … The governor's tax plans are consistent with the Montana Republican Party Platform. The tax plans pushed by President Regier are not.' Regier said Friday he had not seen the letter. However he responded to the censure of the senators by saying it was basically an acknowledgement of the status quo in the Senate. 'It's been a very frustrating session for Republicans from the first day,' Regier said. The division between Senate Republicans began at the start of the 69th Legislature, when the nine — Kassmier, Tempel, Jason Ellsworth, Wendy McKamey, Gayle Lammers, Butch Gillespie, Gregg Hunter, Denley Loge, and Shelley Vance — joined all Democrats to change the chamber's rules, going against GOP leadership. That coalition, in essence a working majority, has repeatedly flexed its muscles over the last three months to pass big pieces of legislation, change committees and at times effectively run the Senate floor, as well as block attempts to expel one of their members, Ellsworth, for ethics violations. Ellsworth has since been censured by the Senate. Previously, the state GOP executive committee issued a statement 'strongly rebuking' the senators, saying additional steps would follow if the group did not stop its actions against the party. 'Despite multiple calls for unity and adherence to Republican principles, the senators have chosen to align with Democrats, undermining Republican priorities and leadership,' the statement about the censure said. '…These Senators have undermined the Republican majority leadership and disregarded the will of Montana Republican voters.' The executive board also voted to withhold any political funding for the nine in future elections and said the nine shouldn't be considered to speak for the party. Sen. Hunter, however, said his duty is to his constituents. 'The GOP central committee didn't elect me,' Hunter said. 'I don't know what they're using as a litmus test or not, but if you look at the Montana conservative scorecard, I'm more conservative than most Republicans.' Sen. Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls, said she's 'as Republican as they come,' and the state GOP was mischaracterizing the senators' actions. 'We aren't voting with the Democrats. The Democrats are voting with us to support the governor — not doing what other Republicans are doing to fight the governor,' McKamey said. 'We're doing the kinds of things good Republicans do.' McKamey also said she was recently notified that she is receiving an award from the Republican National Committee for her conservatism. In his letter, Kassmier wrote that his 'strong conservative values' helped him defeat state GOP Vice Chairperson Lola Sheldon-Galloway in the 2024 primary for his Senate seat. Kassmier also presents himself as a fiscal conservative and alleges Regier is working with Democrats in the House and is 'a true liberal' spending taxpayer money on things like lawyers and new office furniture. 'A real conservative would never dream of spending money like President Regier,' Kassmier said in the letter. 'When it comes to spending taxpayer money, President Regier is not a leader I follow.' From the start of the session, however, Regier has repeatedly expressed frustration with the size of the governor's budget and an interest in taking a closer look at spending in the state. The censure Friday and allegations in the letter from Kassmier bring the split among Senate Republicans to the fore again as the legislature closes in on its last few weeks of work. However, Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, said he will continue to work with all 32 Republicans and talk with them daily given the limited time left in the session. 'I'd like us to see us come together and get as much good legislation as we can out of here. So I'm not disowning anybody,' McGillvray said. '… I cannot look at a group of Republicans and say, 'You don't belong to us anymore.' 'That's exactly a way to destroy what we need to accomplish for the good of Montana people.' Kassmier said he echoed the sentiment toward unity. 'We got a lot of work to do.' MT GOP Resolution re Censure
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Three income tax bills pass first hurdles— but none are what the governor ordered
Photo illustration by Getty Images. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has made it clear that he wants the Legislature to pass income tax cuts for the third time since his election in 2020. This session, he wants to lower the state's top tax rate — the rate most Montanans pay — by a full percentage point during the next two years. But the legislation he is backing — touted in his budget proposal last year, his State of the State address in January, and in multiple press conferences throughout the legislative session — has stalled in the Senate, while different proposals that take a narrower focus of lowering taxes for middle-income earners have received bipartisan support from lawmakers. The governor's preferred proposal, Senate Bill 323, carried by Sen. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, had a hearing before the Senate Taxation Committee earlier this week. The bill would lower the top tax bracket (Montana has two brackets) from 5.9% to 5.4% next year, and down to 4.9% the following year. It would also expand the earned income tax credit from 10% to 15%. The bill was tabled in committee. On Wednesday, Kassmier made a motion to blast the bill out of committee to the floor in order to let the entire Senate debate its merits, but the motion failed. 'While I join all Montanans in being disappointed with the Senate's vote yesterday, I am optimistic that by working together, we can get (income tax cuts) done for the Montanans who sent us here. And we must,' Gianforte said at a press conference on Thursday. Meanwhile, two competing proposals that were also tabled in committees, Senate Bill 203, brought by Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings, and Senate Bill 546, brought by Sen. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish, were blasted to the floor on Wednesday. Yakawich's bill passed an initial Senate vote earlier this week 47-3 before the Senate Finance and Claims Committee tabled it. Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, who leads the taxation committee, said he supported the 'good bipartisan bill' coming back to the floor for a final vote, drawing contrasts to Kassmier's bill. 'We know 323 was tabled. And the reason why? It started at the top,' Hertz said. 'We're starting at the bottom here. It's a middle class tax cut. If you don't want to bring this to the floor, you're voting against a middle-class tax cut.' Rather than cut the top tax bracket rate, SB 203 would expand the lower bracket — taxed at 4.7% — to include individuals making as much as $100,000. For married couples filing jointly the bracket delineation would be at $200,000, which Yakawich has said will cover up to the 90th percentile of earners. SB 203 passed the Senate in a final vote Thursday 31-19 and was sent to the House. In convincing the Senate to hear SB 546 on the floor, Fern called it the 'largest middle-class tax cut that's being presented.' 'I have one of the best kept secrets in this chamber. This is great competition for middle class tax cuts. And I would love the opportunity to present this innovative, interesting, out of the box bill to all of you.' The blast motion was successful, and the Senate debated the measure during Thursday's session. Rather than tinker with the income tax rates, Fern's proposal would create an income-based tax credit targeting exclusively the lower and middle income taxpayers. While he called the text a 'mouthful,' Fern said the Middle Income Tax Reduction, MITR, would subtract a percentage of a filer's tax liability, starting at 4.7% of taxable income and stepping down a percentage for additional income. Using a teacher filing jointly as an example, with a Montana taxable income of $70,000, Fern said those folks would receive about $930 as a tax credit. 'I suggest that MITR is the best bill that targets what I call a silent majority of our citizens and taxpayers. The MITR assures savings and spending so that dollars stay at home,' Fern said. 'We're not treating our middle class taxpayers, I think, with the respect they deserve.' Speaking in opposition to the bill, Hertz said that lawmakers faced a decision over two bills that both cost $200 million a year. '(We) can't have both of them. We're going to have to choose one or the other. Although we might be able to do a hybrid method.' He said Fern's bill was too complicated by essentially creating '50 new tax brackets' due to the percentage-graded credit. He also expressed concern that it would make it harder for tax software companies to tailor their products for Montana, which presents a small portion of their customer base. 'It doesn't meet my simplification test,' he said. In support, Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, said he was happy to see Democrats bring forth an income tax bill — which the party traditionally has opposed — specifically one so focused on lower-income earners. 'For years, the income tax reduction proposals that have come here have done the same thing. They've primarily benefited taxpayers at the highest level,' Flowers said. 'And who needs an income tax reduction? Is it somebody making $500,000 a year? No.' Fern said that the bill could be amended to mesh with Yakawich's, if the Legislature found that to be the best compromise on policy. The chamber passed the bill 28-21. The other major income tax cut bill moving through the Legislature is House Bill 337, introduced by Speaker of the House Brandon Ler, R-Savage. Ler's bill falls in between the Yakawich proposal and the governor's plan, It contains both a slight reduction in the top tax rate from 5.9% to 5.4%, and an expansion of the lower, 4.7% bracket up to $70,000 for individual filers, and $100,000 for joint filers. Tax day is less than two weeks away, and on the House floor Monday, Ler said he'd heard from many folks who were getting hit on their taxes from last year. His bill, he said, would benefit everyone. 'This bill is aimed to lowering all income tax brackets. This will help all Montanans whether you're low income or high income,' Ler said. The measure passed along party lines. In his press conference Thursday, Gianforte said that proposals aimed at expanding the lower tax bracket 'only benefit a portion of Montanans.' 'Carving out special groups and giving special breaks to special interests or special groups of Montanans is just not fair,' the governor said. Pushed by reporters whether he was concerned that higher income Montanans wouldn't receive a tax cut, Gianforte reiterated that his ultimate goal was to create a single, flat-tax rate for everyone. 'It's just basically fair,' he said. 'You have a fairer system because everyone shares the burden based on their income level.' He said that while his goal was to get a full 1% decrease in the top tax rate, 'there can be honest debate about how much to reduce the top rate.' He added that no lawmakers had approached him to discuss alternate tax plans. 'If there's a concern in the Legislature, let's have a discussion,' he said. 'None of those legislators have come to me to talk to me about an alternative proposal, so I would welcome the discussion. Let's get around the table and figure this out for the people of Montana.'
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Marathon evening floor session confirms continued Senate GOP fracture
The Montana Senate is seen during the Wednesday, February 12, 2025 session. (Nathaniel Bailey for the Daily Montanan) With a frigid snowstorm outside, and bowls of popcorn Doordashed from Cinemark and mounting tensions inside, the Montana Senate held a late-night floor session on Monday, renewing the power struggles within the chamber. Convening after sunset, a coalition of nine Republicans and the Senate's 18 Democrats flexed its 'working majority' muscles to run the floor for more than three hours. The group rearranged committee assignments and moved 20 House bills from the Senate President's desk into committee — allowable actions, but ones normally undertaken by leadership. 'Absolutely ridiculous. It's absurd,' Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, said. 'In 20 years, we've never seen this kind of antics.' The actions on the floor, led by Sen. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, represented the latest show of power for the coalition government that formed on the first day of the session when minority leader Sen. Pat Flowers led a vote not to adopt rules and committee assignments decided by GOP leadership. Since then, accusations of politicking, stalled Senate actions and an ethical and criminal investigation into one of the nine Republican senators have heightened tensions and deepened the political divides in the upper chamber. 'I think the goal is to make it look like there's been nefarious deeds done with House bills, by leadership, to try to discredit leadership and then make a further decision to get rid of leadership.' said Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings. After the committee assignments changed, Kassmier announced he had more than 20 additional motions to make, including referring a series of House bills transmitted to the Senate to a committee. Kassmier said there were dozens of bills sitting on the Senate President's desk waiting to be referred to committee, many which were transmitted weeks ago. 'I don't know why we'd hold bills,' Kassmier said. 'I would think we should get them out to committee and get them scheduled for hearings and not be holding up any House bills so they don't hold up our Senate bills.' While in the lower chamber, House rules require the Speaker refer bills to committee within two days of transmission from the Senate, but no similar rule exists for the Senate. According to Senate Republicans, there were between 45 and 70 House bills waiting for referral earlier this week, depending on the day, with around 10 to 15 bills coming from the House each day, and around the same number getting referred to committee each day. Ellsworth urged members to support all 20 motions to refer bills, saying that if a committee has a bill in hand, they can choose when to schedule it based on workload. 'This is what we do. We schedule bills,' Ellsworth said. 'This is the process.' Ellsworth's continued alignment with Democrats and 'The Nine' has furthered the rift in the Senate following a report that he'd procured a $170,100 contract with a business associate late last year. The Legislative Audit Division released findings that the contract flouted state procurement laws and Ellsworth had abused his former role as Senate president, wasting state resources. The Senate convened its Ethics Committee to look into the issue, but later referred the investigation to the Montana Department of Justice. As the floor session continued into the night, pizza showed up outside the Senate doors, sending members back and forth for a bite to eat. During one break when the Senate stood at ease, Sen. Ellie Boldman, a Missoula Democrat, doled out handfuls of the popcorn she'd ordered. Throughout Monday night's debate, several Republicans, including Zolnikov, said that the priority has to be on Senate bills, as the deadline for moving legislation between chambers approaches and the workload will continue to ramp up as legislators' final bill drafts get delivered. Almost all of the 20 motions to refer bills — two had already been referred to committee — were debated on the floor, with several senators rising on every single bill to reiterate their same points and stretch the session longer. Sen. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, repeatedly questioned why they would rush House bills through the Senate before the transmittal break, why the regular process was being subverted, and mentioned the ongoing snowstorm outside the Capitol windows as a reason to delay bill hearings that could bring members of the public out in bad weather. 'I'm going to wonder on these bills, if the sponsors of the bills are worried about the political fallout that could come from this odd process to refer bills,' Trebas mused. 'Or maybe, on these bills, the votes are already wrapped up.' Zolnikov added that some of the bills appeared to be directed to improper committees, and that the bills needed to be read through in order to make an educated decision on where to send them — he proceeded to read the short titles of several bills into the record to try and gain clarity. While the Republicans in the functional minority continued to decry the actions as arbitrary and obstructive, the working majority claimed they were just trying to do the work they were sent to Helena to do. 'These motions were very simple motions to get bills moving. Had these bills not been sitting for the last six weeks, we would not be here tonight,' said Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester, another member of 'The Nine,' who expressed his disappointment with the ongoing debates. 'We can play this game all night if you want, but these were simple motions to get these bills moving, and if you want to mess with it, fine.' Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Senate President Regier criticized the Democrats and 'solution caucus Republicans' for running the Senate floor. 'To me, it was just an embarrassment, obviously a political play one way or another,' Regier said. 'It was nothing to do with logistics.' Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, said that he agreed with the tactics Kassmier took during the floor session and wanted to help jump start the referral process so the Senate could 'get moving.' '(Kassmier) made the choice to kind of force this, and we supported him on it,' Flowers said. 'I don't know how much more clear I can be that that should be a priority for the President to get those scheduled… He knows that's part of his responsibility, and hopefully he'll start getting that done.'
