Common Cause Montana

2007 Legislature Updates

The 2007 legislative session ended in May and Montana Common Cause was a very visible and effective influence throughout the session. Our presence is an important, non-partisan voice calling for fair and open government in Montana. We had some great success in several areas:

Campaign Finance Reform—Regulating Constituency Accounts

For years Montana’s elected officials have used secret slush funds to supplement their official campaign account. These so-called “constituency accounts,” originally intended as a place for candidates to put leftover campaign funds, were exempt from the reporting requirements and fundraising limits that regulate campaign accounts. Moreover, because only incumbents have theses accounts, they have an unfair advantage in elections.

In the 2007 legislative session, Montana Common Cause was an outspoken advocate for regulating these accounts, and bringing them out into the sunshine and public oversight.

As a direct result of our advocacy work during the session, it is now illegal for elected officials in Montana to accept contributions into these accounts—they can only be used for surplus campaign funds! Furthermore, for the first time ever, elected officials must now file quarterly reports on deposits and expenditures of their constituency accounts.

Protecting Direct Democracy

Last fall, out-of-state, big-moneyed special interests bankrolled a trio of ballot initiatives that would have undermined good government in Montana. Fortunately, a Montana judge found that signature gatherers for I-154, CI-97 and CI-98 exhibited a “pervasive pattern of fraud and deceit,” and removed the three anti-democratic initiatives from the ballot.

In the 2007 legislature, Montana Common Cause worked hard to correct any deficiencies within our state’s initiative process, while protecting the citizen initiative process for all Montanans. Working with bill sponsor Carol Williams (D-Missoula), we helped pass a bill that prohibits signature gatherers from being paid by the signature—an invitation for fraud.

Other legislative work

During the 2007 legislative session, Montana Common Cause also succeeded in other areas of electoral reform in Helena, including mounting a successful defense of same-day voter registration in Montana, and supporting attempts to take the private money out of judicial campaigns.

Montanans want public officials that work for the public, not private interests, both in Washington and in Helena. Common Cause Montana hopes to work in the 2007 legislative session to harness our state’s strong desire for government accountability and ethics reform. Since Montana's legislature meets only once every two years, this is a critical time for reform efforts. Get involved! Please sign up for our email list to learn more about this and other campaigns.