HELENA, Mont. (AP) - The debate over abortion and charter schools threatened to derail negotiations over an infrastructure bonding bill in Montana, as Republican conservatives sought concessions from Democrats for the votes needed to advance a bill that would authorize as much as $78 million for public works and capital building projects.
Democrats said they would refuse to give in on abortion, but they did express a willingness to explore expanding charter schools if the facilities remained under the control of local school boards and allow staffers to unionize.
The maneuvering came as pressure mounted on Gov. Steve Bullock and lawmakers to come up with a last-minute deal.
A flurry of discussions occurred Tuesday, as key legislators conferred about next moves before they adjourn. Earlier in the day, Bullock called legislative leaders into his office for an hour-long meeting as part of a last-ditch effort to reach an agreement.
“It’s in all of our hands to figure out that path,” Bullock told the group.
Later, he said, “The ball is firmly in the Republican-majority Legislature’s court to do the job Montanans sent them here to do and pass a major infrastructure bill that invests in our communities and puts people to work.”
On Monday, a move to reconsider a $78 million bonding bill to pay for public works and capital building projects fell 10 votes shy of the 67 required to reopen debate.
It remained unclear if fiscal conservatives will be willing to let go of their philosophical opposition to paying for projects through bonding, which they see as putting the state into debt over building projects they say should wait for better budgetary times.
Discussions were frank and sometimes testy, particularly between Republican moderates and more fiscally conservative House members. They talked about removing big-ticket items from the package, such as a $25 million remodel of Romney Hall at Montana State University in Bozeman.
Republican Sen. Eric Moore, who sponsored a $98 million infrastructure package that stalled in a House committee, suggested doing a 10 percent across-the-board cut, as opposed to eliminating entire projects, as a “less toxic” way to trim costs.
To gain approval of a package, House Speaker Austin Knudsen, a Republican from Culbertson, asserted that Democrats would have to make further concessions. Republicans had presented the governor with a list of 11 pieces of legislation, including the abortion and charter schools bills, as part of a push to reach a deal.
Bullock had agreed to allow four pieces of legislation to become law, including a bill that reduces the frequency for license plate renewals and a measure allowing tax deductions for donations to a public land access fund. Two other bills focused on workers compensation.
Republicans balked, however, saying the governor chose the most-low hanging fruit on their list.
“My tack was to put some Republican ideals out there, some things we want to see move - some things we think are worth an $80 million or $100 million bonding bill. And we’ve been resoundingly rejected,” Knudsen said during the meeting with the governor.
House Minority Leader Jenny Eck, a Democrat from Helena, said any legislation that scales back abortion rights would be unacceptable, and even some Republicans expressed misgivings about a charter school bill currently stalled in the Senate.
While Democrats were unwilling to negotiate on abortion, a possible compromise on charter schools appeared to get traction.
The governor opposes legislation that would siphon money from public schools, but he appeared willing to consider a proposal that would allow school districts to create charter schools that are under the control of the Board of Public Education and local school boards.
To win support from union Democrats, the proposal would likely need to require that teachers be licensed and be allowed to join unions.
Knudsen said Republicans want more than just a charter schools bill.
“If it’s just the charter school bill, I think my answer’s no,” the House speaker said. “I think there’s got to be a package put together.”
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