2017 Montana Senate Voting Record

Know how your legislators voted, and hold them accountable for their votes. Don’t forget to thank them when they voted correctly. Remember that in order to fully evaluate a legislator, you must also consider committee performance, influence on the floor debates, and responsiveness to constituents. The  and  indicate whether the vote supported () or opposed () the protection of Montana’s environment. A vote marked A = absent, and a vote marked E = excused. Legislators are only scored on the bills in which they were present to vote. The votes used in this score card are only a selection of the most important bills during the session. For a full list of bills, visit MEIC’s Bill Tracker.

Once you know who your Senator is, you can search for them by name or by town to see their votes! If you are using a device with a smaller screen, such as a smartphone, you can scroll right in the table to see the full list of your legislators votes.

Senator	Town	Score	HB 339	SB 32	SB 48	SB 78	SB 98	SB 102	SB 190	SB 235	SB 337	SB 338
Ankney, Duane	Colstrip	10%
Barrett, Dick	Missoula	90%
Blasdel, Mark	Kalispell	0%
Boland, Carlie	Great Falls	78%		E
Brown, Dee	Hungry Horse	10%
Buttrey, Edward	Great Falls	20%
Caferro, Mary	Helena	80%
Cohenour, Jill	East Helena	90%
Connell, Pat	Hamilton	10%
Facey, Tom	Missoula	80%
Fielder, Jennifer	Thompson Falls	0%
Fitzpatrick, Steve	Great Falls	10%
Gauthier, Terry	Helena	0%
Gross, Jen	Billings	89%								E
Hinebauch, Steve	Wibaux	10%
Hinkle, Jedediah	Belgrade	10%
Hoven, Brian	Great Falls	10%
Howard, David	Park City	10%
Jones, Llew	Conrad	20%
Kary, Doug	Billings	0%
Keenan, Bob	Bigfork	10%
Lang, Mike	Malta	0%
MacDonald, Margaret	Billings	90%
Malek, Sue	Missoula	90%
McClafferty, Edie	Butte	89%						E
McNally, Mary	Billings	80%
Moore, Eric	Miles City	0%
Olszewski, Albert	Kalispell	0%
Osmundson, Ryan	Buffalo	10%
Phillips, Mike	Bozeman	78%				E
Pomnichowski, J.P.	Bozeman	100%
Regier, Keith	Kalispell	0%
Richmond, Tom	Billings	10%
Sales, Scott	Bozeman	10%
Salomon, Daniel	Ronan	10%
Sands, Diane	Missoula	90%
Sesso, Jon	Butte	90%
Small, Jason	Busby	10%
Smith, Cary	Billings	0%
Smith, Frank	Poplar	90%
Swandal, Nels	Wilsall	10%
Tempel, Russel	Chester	30%
Thomas, Fred	Stevensville	0%
Vance, Gordon	Belgrade	0%
Vincent, Chas	Libby	20%
Vuckovich, Gene	Anaconda	70%
Webb, Roger	Billings	0%
Welborn, Jeffrey	Dillon	10%
Whitford, Lea	Cut Bank	90%
Wolken, Cynthia	Missoula	80%
Senator	Town	Score	HB 339	SB 32	SB 48	SB 78	SB 98	SB 102	SB 190	HB 235	SB 337	SB 338

Score Card Votes

HB 339 (Rep. Carl Glimm, R-Kila)

• Description: Would re-open exempt well loophole, deplete stream-flows, and harm senior water rights.
• MEIC Position: Oppose.
• Senate vote used: 2nd reading, passed 32 to 18.
• Status: Passed the House and Senate. Vetoed by Governor. 

SB 32 (Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell)

• Description: Would weaken the Renewable Energy Standard.
• MEIC Position: Oppose.
• Senate vote used: 3rd reading, passed 31 to 19.
• Status: Passed the House and Senate. Vetoed by the Governor.

SB 48 (Sen. Chas Vincent, R-Libby)

• Description: Would put Montana DEQ in charge of the U.S. Army Corps’ §404 dredge and fill program.
• MEIC Position: Oppose.
• Senate vote used: 3rd reading, passed 39 to 11.
• Status: Tabled in House Natural Resources Committee.

SB 78 (Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell)

• Description: Would drastically and unfairly reduce net metering compensation rates.
• MEIC Position: Oppose.
• Senate vote used: 2nd reading, passed 33 to 16.
• Status: Tabled in House Energy, Technology, and Federal Relations Committee.

SB 98 (Sen. Cary Smith, R-Billings)

• Description: Would prevent government from adopting rules that burden private property.
• MEIC Position: Oppose.
• Senate votes used: 2nd reading, failed 20 to 30.
• Status: Failed 2nd reading in the Senate.

SB 102 (Sen. Tom Richmond, R-Billings)

• Description: Would interfere with contracts for wind and solar projects.
• MEIC Position: Oppose.
• Senate vote used: 3rd reading, passed 25 to 24.
• Status: Tabled in House Energy, Technology, and Federal Relations Committee.

SB 190 (Sen. Mike Phillips, D-Bozeman)

• Description: Would require rules for greenhouse gas emission sources.
• MEIC Position: Support.
• Senate vote used: 2nd reading, failed 18 to 32.
• Status: Failed 2nd reading in the Senate.

SB 235 (Sen. Tom Richmond, R-Billings)

• Description: Would allow Land Board to extend coal leases for Otter Creek coal tracts.
• MEIC Position: Oppose.
• Senate vote used: 2nd reading, passed 32 to 17.
• Status: Passed the House and Senate. Awaiting Governor’s action. 

SB 337 (Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip)

• Description: Would eliminate Montana Board of Environmental Review.
• MEIC Position: Oppose.
• Senate vote used: 3rd reading, passed 33 to 17.
• Status: Passed the House and Senate. Awaiting Governor’s action. 

SB 338 (Sen. Duane Ankney, R-Colstrip)

• Description: Would derail clean energy development.
• MEIC Position: Oppose.
• Senate vote used: 2nd reading, passed 43 to 7.
• Status: Tabled in House Energy, Technology, and Federal Relations Committee, and rejected twice by full House.