Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-01-31
Legislative Notes


terest. One provides for the submis
sion to electors of a constitutions,
amendment which would limit the
state senate to 25 members, selected
from 20 senatorial districts. 1t is au'
thored by Kilduff.
Then has introduced a bill which
provides for a constitutional amend
ment to enact a state budget by
which the legislature would be re.
stricted in it's appropriations.
S. B. /, forbidding legislators tc
hold state offices, is expected to cre-
ate a fight. In addition, bills from
the house will start making their APP
pearance in the near future and the
senate docket is expected to hold suf-
ficient material to keep the members
busy.
Indications that repeal of the state
liquor permit system had run afoul
of the snag of senate committee dis
approval we're seer when Senator
Kalberg, Republican, of McCone,
chairman Of the public morals group
to which the measure had been re-
ferred, termed the bill too compre-
hensive."
The liquor permit repeater of H. B.
8, by Leavitt and Harlem. 1t carried
last week in the house 100 to l., its
sole opponent claiming he had not
had the opportunity of examining the
measure. 1t then was introduced in
the senate and referred to Kalberg's
committee.
"The bill undoubtedly will have to
be amended or a new measure sub
stituted in its stead" the public NOR
ais committee chairman said. Not
merely repeating the permit clause
itself, he said, the easur would take
along with it the elimination of sew
eral other worthy sections of the liq-
uor laws.
In the first two weeks of the legis-
lature Al bills have been introduced
in the house.
Harlem of Blaine, introduced H. B.
Al which would limit voters on bond
issues to freeholders. A few years
ago an amendment to the state con-
stitution was adopted which limited
such voters to taxpayers.
The house passed and sent to the
senate H. B. 16, providing there be
no deficiency judgments after sale of
property under foreclosure. The vote
was 80 to A.
O'Connor of Teton, gave notice of
a bill which would give six-year
terms to officials Of cities under 1000
population. The villages would thus
hold elections every three years, in
stead of every year as at present.
The judiciary committee proposes
another bill to continue codification
of the Montana statutes, which was
begun two years ago.
The committee on public health will
introduce a bill raising the profess
sional standards of c~hiropractors and
requiring each one licensed to attend
a post graduate course each year, be-
fore getting a renewal of his license.
Joffray of Jefferson, proposes to
bond operators of small mines, to in
sure payment of wages to employees.
Haight of Fergus, will introduce
a measure to reduce the contract rate
of interest from 10 per cent to 8 per
cent.
To investigate the administration
of the railroad and public service
commission in the last biennium and
acts of it's members, the speaker ap-
pointed Emmons of Deer Lodge, Foor
of Roosevelt, Ormsbee of Mineral,
Ahlgreen of Lake, and O'Byrne Of
Silver Bow.
Montana's constitution may be in
for a thorough going over If the cur
rent legislative session could submit
to electorate the maze of revisions it
now has on hand.
Though but two weeks old, the
twenty-fourth assembly has docketed
two less than a dozen recommended
tons for constitutional alterations.
However, the constitution is it's
own defense.
It provides thai not more than
three proposed amendments may be
submitted to the voters at any one
election. Until that section is changed
little can be done at a time in chang
ing the basic law of Montana, which
outlines the powers and duties OF the
three great departments, executive,
legislative and judicial.
In addition to the ten proposed
amendments is a bill providing for a
state constitutional convention, which
would have power to rewrite the con-
stitution in it's entirety. The conven-
ton could be called only on vote Of
the people, and its document would
have to be ratified by the people.
Should this plan be adopted it would
be at least a half dozen years before
the new constitution could be put in
to effect.
Greene, Democrat, Fergus, and
Lowell, Republican, of Anaconda, col
laborated in introducing a bill to
legalize gambling. The would
sanction all card games, roulette,
klondike, dice, pools, pari-mutuels
and punch boards, but would outlaw
slot machines.
Probably the amendment in which
the greatest number of people are in