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Montana House of Representatives
General Information
Type:	Lower house
Term limits:	4 terms (8 years)
2012 session start:	No regular session in 2012
Website:	Official House Page
Leadership
House Speaker:	Mike Milburn , (R)
Majority Leader:	Tom McGillvray, (R)
Minority leader:	Jon Sesso , (D)
Structure
Members:	100
	Democratic Party (32) Republican Party (68)
Length of term:	2 years
Authority:	Art V, Montana Constitution
Salary:	$82.64/day + per diem
Elections
Last Election:	November 2, 2010 (100 seats)
Next election:	November 6, 2012 (100 seats)
Redistricting:	Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission

The Montana House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Montana State Legislature. A total of 100 members serve in the lower chamber of the Montana Legislature. Each member represents an average of 9,894 residents, as of the 2010 Census.^[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented approximately 9,022 residents.^[2]

Sessions

Article V of the Montana Constitution establishes when the Montana State Legislature, of which the House 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 House will not be in regular session.

2011

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

The bill submission deadline in 2011 was January 14.

2010

In 2010, the House 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 House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Montana House of Representatives will be held in Montana on November 6, 2012. All 100 seats will be up for election.

The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was March 12, 2012. The primary election day will be June 5, 2012.^[5]

Montana state representatives are subject to term limits, and may not serve more than four two-year terms. In 2012, 16 state representatives will be termed-out of office.

2010

See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Montana's state house representatives 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.

In 2010, the candidates for state house raised a total of $1,611,045 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: ^[6]

Donor	Amount
Guymon, Shawn	$11,470
Plum Creek Timber	$9,250
Shaw, Ray L	$8,750
Olson, Mary Lane	$7,254
National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors	$6,680
Hunter, Charles L (Chuck)	$6,570
Montana Contractors Association	$6,420
Clark, Christy	$6,357
Treasure State PAC	$6,330
Bonogofsky, Debra M	$5,815

Qualifications

To be eligible to serve in the Montana House of Representatives, a candidate must be:^[7]

• 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

If there is a vacancy in the House, the Board of County Commissioners that represent the vacant seat must select a replacement. The Secretary of State must notify the Board of County 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 House is in session, the selection must be made no later than five days after receiving a candidate list^[8]. Any person selected to fill a House seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term^[9].

Representatives

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

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

The $82.64/day that Montana representatives 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]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Montana legislators assume office the first Monday of January following the election. If a senator is elected to fill a vacancy, the term of service begins the day after the election.

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Party		As of May 2012
	Democratic Party	32
	Republican Party	68
Total		100

Leadership

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. ^[12]

Current leadership

Position	Representative	Party
Speaker of the House	Mike Milburn	Republican
State House Speaker Pro Tempore	Janna Taylor	Republican
State House Majority Leader	Tom McGillvray	Republican
State House Majority Whip	Gerald Bennett	Republican
State House Majority Whip	Keith Regier	Republican
State House Majority Whip	Cary Smith	Republican
State House Majority Whip	Wendy Warburton	Republican
State House Minority Leader	Jon Sesso	Democratic
State House Minority Caucus Leader	Betsy Hands	Democratic
State House Minority Whip	Chuck Hunter	Democratic
State House Minority Whip	Margaret MacDonald	Democratic

2010 Leadership

Position	Representative	Party
State Speaker of the House	Bob Bergren	Democratic
State House Speaker Pro Tempore	Franke Wilmer	Democratic
State House Majority Caucus Leader	Mike Phillips	Democratic
State House Majority Floor Leader	Margarett Campbell	Democratic
State House Majority Whip	Shannon Augare	Democratic
State House Majority Whip	Julie French	Democratic
State House Minority Leader	Scott Sales	Republican
State House Minority Floor Leader	Scott Mendenhall	Republican
State House Assistant Minority Leader	Tom McGillvray	Republican
State House Minority Whip	Chas Vincent	Republican
State House Minority Whip	Dee Brown	Republican
State House Minority Whip	Krayton Kerns	Republican
State House Minority Whip	Llew Jones	Republican

Current members

District	Representative	Party	Residence
1	Gerald Bennett	Republican	Libby
2	Mike Cuffe	Republican
3	Jerry O'Neil	Republican
4	Derek Skees	Republican
5	Keith Regier	Republican	Kalispell
6	William Beck, Sr.	Republican	Whitefish
7	Randy Brodehl	Republican
8	Steve Lavin	Republican
9	Scott Reichner	Republican	Bigfork
10	Mark Blasdel	Republican	Somers
11	Janna Taylor	Republican	Dayton
12	Daniel Salomon	Republican
13	Pat Ingraham	Republican	Thompson Falls
14	Gordon Hendrick	Republican	Superior
15	Joe Read	Republican
16	Lila Walter Evans	Republican
17	Christy Clark	Republican
18	Jesse O'Hara	Republican	Great Falls
19	Mike Milburn	Republican	Cascade
20	Steve Fitzpatrick	Republican
21	Jean Price	Democratic
22	Trudi Schmidt	Democratic
23	Carlie Boland	Democratic	Great Falls
24	Brian Hoven	Republican	Great Falls
25	Cleve Loney	Republican
26	Robert Mehlhoff	Democratic	Great Falls
27	Rob Cook	Republican
28	Roy Hollandsworth	Republican	Sweetgrass
29	Ryan Osmundson	Republican
30	Bill Harris	Republican
31	Frank Smith	Democratic
32	Tony Belcourt	Democratic	Box Elder
33	Kris Hansen	Republican
34	Wendy Warburton	Republican	Havre
35	Wayne Stahl	Republican	Saco
36	Austin Knudsen	Republican
37	Walter McNutt	Republican	Sidney
38	Matthew Rosendale	Republican
39	Lee Randall	Republican	Broadus
40	Bill McChesney	Democratic	Miles City
41	Sterling Small	Republican
42	Carolyn Pease-Lopez	Democratic	Lodge Grass
43	Duane Ankney	Republican	Colstrip
44	Jonathan McNiven	Republican
45	Tom Berry	Republican	Roundup
46	Kenneth Peterson	Republican	Billings
47	James Knox	Republican
48	Douglas Kary	Republican
49	Mary McNally	Democratic
50	Tom McGillvray	Republican	Billings
51	Robyn Driscoll	Democratic	Billings
52	Virginia Court	Democratic
53	Elsie Arntzen	Republican	Billings
54	Margaret MacDonald	Democratic	Billings
55	Cary Smith	Republican	Billings
56	Donald Roberts	Republican	Billings
57	Dan Kennedy	Republican
58	Krayton Kerns	Republican	Laurel
59	Joanne Blyton	Republican
60	David Howard	Republican	Absarokee
61	John Esp	Republican	Emigrant
62	Dan Skattum	Republican
63	Tom Burnett	Republican
64	Franke Wilmer	Democratic	Bozeman
65	Kathleen Williams	Democratic
66	Mike Phillips	Democratic	Bozeman
67	Gordon Vance	Republican	Bozeman
68	Kelly Flynn	Republican
69	Ted Washburn	Republican	Bozeman
70	Michael More	Republican	Bozeman
71	Robert Wagner	Republican	Harrison
72	Jeffrey Welborn	Republican	Dillon
73	Pat Noonan	Democratic	Butte
74	Max Yates	Republican
75	Edith McClafferty	Democratic	Butte
76	Jon Sesso	Democratic	Butte
77	Alan Hale	Republican
78	Steve Gibson	Republican
79	Chuck Hunter	Democratic	Helena
80	Liz Bangerter	Republican
81	Galen Hollenbaugh	Democratic	Helena
82	Mike Menahan	Democratic	Helena
83	Harry Klock	Republican	Harlowton
84	Mike Miller	Republican	Helena
85	Cynthia Hiner	Democratic	Deer Lodge
86	Kathy Swanson	Democratic
87	Patrick Connell	Republican
88	Ron Ehli	Republican
89	Gary MacLaren	Republican	Victor
90	Edward Greef	Republican
91	Timothy Furey	Democratic	Missoula
92	Bryce Bennett	Democratic
93	Dick Barrett	Democratic	Missoula
94	Ellie Hill	Democratic
95	Diane Sands	Democratic	Missoula
96	Carolyn Squires	Democratic
97	Michele Reinhart	Democratic	Missoula
98	Sue Malek	Democratic	Missoula
99	Betsy Hands	Democratic	Missoula
100	Champ Edmunds	Republican

Standing committees

There are a total of 16 standing committees in the Montana House:

• Agriculture
• Appropriations
• Business and Labor
• Education
• Ethics
• Federal Relations, Energy, and Telecommunications
• Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
• Human Services
• Judiciary
• Legislative Administration
• Local Government
• Natural Resources
• Rules
• State Administration
• Taxation
• Transportation

External links

• Official website of the Montana House of Representatives
• Official list of the current members of the Montana House of Representatives
• Project Vote Smart on the Montana House of Representatives
• Montana 2010 election results

References

v • d • e Current members of the Montana House of Representatives House Speaker: Mike Milburn • House Majority Leader: Tom McGillivray (R) • House Minority Leader: Jon Sesso (D)     Gerald Bennett (R) Mike Cuffe (R) Jerry O'Neil (R) Derek Skees (R) Keith Regier (R) William Beck, Sr. (R) Randy Brodehl (R) Steve Lavin (R) Scott Reichner (R) Mark Blasdel (R) Janna Taylor (R) Daniel Salomon (R) Pat Ingraham (R) Gordon Hendrick (R) Joe Read (R) Lila Walter Evans (R) Christy Clark (R) Jesse O'Hara (R) Mike Milburn (R) Steve Fitzpatrick (R) Jean Price (D) Trudi Schmidt (D) Carlie Boland (D) Brian Hoven (R) Cleve Loney (R) Robert Mehlhoff (D) Rob Cook (R) Roy Hollandsworth (R) Ryan Osmundson (R) Bill Harris (R) Frank Smith (D) Tony Belcourt (D) Kris Hansen (R) Wendy Warburton (R) Wayne Stahl (R) Austin Knudsen (R) Walter McNutt (R) Matthew Rosendale (R) Lee Randall (R) Bill McChesney (D) Sterling Small (R) Carolyn Pease-Lopez (D) Duane Ankney (R) Jonathan McNiven (R) Tom Berry (R) Kenneth Peterson (R) James Knox (R) Douglas Kary (R) Mary McNally (D) Tom McGillvray (R) Robyn Driscoll (D) Virginia Court (D) Elsie Arntzen (R) Margaret MacDonald (D) Cary Smith (R) Donald Roberts (R) Dan Kennedy (R) Krayton Kerns (R) Joanne Blyton (R) David Howard (R) John Esp  (R) Dan Skattum (R) Tom Burnett (R) Franke Wilmer (D) Kathleen Williams (D) Mike Phillips (D) Gordon Vance (R) Kelly Flynn (R) Ted Washburn (R) Michael More (R) Robert Wagner (R) Jeffrey Welborn (R) Pat Noonan (D) Max Yates (R) Edith McClafferty (D) Jon Sesso (D) Alan Hale (R) Steve Gibson (R) Chuck Hunter (D) Liz Bangerter (R) Galen Hollenbaugh (D) Mike Menahan (D) Harry Klock (R) Mike Miller (R) Cynthia Hiner (D) Kathy Swanson (D) Patrick Connell (R) Ron Ehli (R) Gary MacLaren (R) Edward Greef (R) Timothy Furey (D) Bryce Bennett (D) Dick Barrett (D) Ellie Hill (D) Diane Sands (D) Carolyn Squires (D) Michele Reinhart (D) Sue Malek (D) Betsy Hands (D) Champ Edmunds (R) Democratic (32) • Republican (68) • Montana House of Representatives • Montana State Senate

v • d • e State legislatures Legislatures Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S) 2012 State legislative elections (2012) • Election Results (2012) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2012 Session Dates • Impact of term limits on 2012 elections • Official Lists of Candidates • List of candidates on 2012 ballot • State Session Topics 2011 State legislative elections (2011) • Election Results (2011) • State Senate elections (2011) • State House elections (2011) • Special elections (2011) • Primary dates and filing requirements • 2011 Session Dates • List of candidates on 2011 ballot • Candidates removed from 2011 ballot • Impact of term limits on 2011 elections • Incumbents defeated in 2011's state legislative elections • Official Lists of Candidates • Election Analysis 2010 State legislative elections (2010) • Election Results (2010) • State Senate elections (2010) • State House elections (2010) • Special elections • Primary dates • Dates of sessions • Impact of term limits on 2010 elections • Political parties with candidates in the 2010 legislative elections • Official lists of state legislative candidates, 2010 • Competitiveness Index • Election Projections • 2010 Session Dates 2009 State legislatures in 2009 • State legislative special elections in 2009 Features of state legislatures Analysis of 2011-2012 standing committees • How vacancies are filled in state legislatures • States with a full-time legislature • State legislatures with term limits • Comparison of state legislative salaries • When state legislators assume office after a general election • Population represented by state legislators • State constitutional articles governing state legislatures • State legislative sessions • Resign-to-run law • State Legislative Tracker • Official names of state legislatures State senates Length of terms of state senators • State senators • Partisan composition of state senates • State senators sorted by year first elected to senate • State senate elections State houses Length of terms of state representatives • State representatives • Partisan composition of state houses • State representatives sorted by year first elected • State house elections Leadership positions President of the Senate • President Pro Tempore • Senate Majority Leader • Senate Minority Leader • House Majority Leader • House Minority Leader • State Speaker of the House

	v • d • e State of Montana Helena (capital)
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