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Burton K. Wheeler Center at Montana State University Conference: Can the Legislature be fixed?
A contentious and divided Legislature that limped through a historic and bitter collapse can be fixed, leading lawmakers meeting here Monday were told.
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The Burton K. Wheeler Center http://www.montana.edu/wheeler/ conference continues Tuesday, with current legislative leaders talking about ways to move forward.
By MATT GOURAS
Associated Press Writer
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Leaders look at ways to improve Legislature
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON – IR State Bureau
Speakers Monday prescribed a host of remedies — particularly ending or extending term limits for lawmakers — to fix a rancorous Montana Legislature that bitterly adjourned in April without completing its work.
Other speakers at the two-day conference sponsored by the Burton K. Wheeler Center at Montana State University suggested if legislators met for shorter periods annually, instead of one 90-minute session every other year, they might learn to get along better with each other.
Full Story: http://helenair.com/articles/2007/10/02/montana_top/a011002_02.txt
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Can the Legislature be fixed?
On the heels of a 2007 legislation session marked by political hardball, name calling and an inability to approve a budget within the allotted 90 days, 73 percent of Montanans polled gave the Legislature a negative job rating — despite the fact that they liked most of what had been accomplished.
That irony wasn’t lost on the Burton K. Wheeler Center at MSU, which sponsored a two-day conference this week on how the legislative process might be improved.
Among the ideas discussed, two stood out: ending or extending term limits, and moving the session farther away from the election. Each suggestion has its problems.
Full Story: http://helenair.com/articles/2007/10/03/opinions_top/a041003_01.txt
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