Governor Says he is Willing to Call Special Legislative Session

Governor Greg Gianforte sent a letter to leaders of the state legislature on Tuesday ‘to reiterate my position on calling a special session of the Montana Legislature’.

Governor Gianforte made it clear that he does not take calling a special session lightly by stating ‘I take seriously our role as elected officials to responsible stewards of taxpayer resources, and also recognize with a citizen legislature, the individual responsibilities of your members outside of regular legislative sessions. For those reasons, I do not take calling a special session lightly.’

Due to the recent controversies surrounding current Public Service Commission districts, Gianforte wrote that he supports a special session along that narrow focus.

Get our free mobile app

‘My position is clear’, he wrote. ‘If and when the legislature has demonstrated ample support for a Public Service Commission (PSC) map and an agreement that a special session’s single focus will be limited to PSC districts, I am willing to call a special session for the sole purpose of PSC redistricting and any statutory requirements associated with a legislative session. I look forward to our continued partnership’.

The letter was addressed to Mark Blasdel, President of the Montana Senate, and Wylie Galt, Speaker of the Montana House of Representatives.

Townsquare Media’s Aaron Flint recently published an article online addressing the controversy over the number of people represented in each of the five current PSC districts not being equal under the U.S. Constitution’s ‘one-person, one-vote’ rule.

Montana’s Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen is being sued by voters over the unequal distribution of voters in Montana’s five PSC districts.

Governor Gianforte’s willingness to call for a special session is intended to address this issue.