The 68th legislative session will end in one week. Montanans have much to look forward to as a result of our bipartisan work this session. However, much of our good work is overshadowed by the headlines of last week. As a native Montanan, receiving calls from Montanans near and far, I think the message as portrayed by media outlets has been misconstrued regarding Representative Zooey Zephyr. It is disheartening to think this is happening in our state. I am additionally concerned about the representatives whose lives and livelihoods have been threatened over this situation.
I supported the Majority Leader’s motion to limit Representative Zephyr’s floor access. This was not without thoughtful consideration. For me this had nothing to do with Representative Zephyr’s group affiliations or political views. Every one of the 100 representatives in the House comes from a different background. Not one of us is the same. We can debate and speak to the bills based on our background and the opinions of our constituents. I believe that every representative should have a voice, no matter on what side of the political aisle they reside. With that said, there are rules that every representative must uphold on the House floor to keep this debate civil. Healthy debate is welcome. Inciting disruption and making personal attacks is not in line with House decorum and is unacceptable to me. On April 24th the incident and actions taken by Representative Zephyr after protests in the House gallery erupted during the floor debate solidified my decision. Prior to the floor debate that day, the Speaker of the House explained what decorum was expected by those in the gallery. Contrary to his direction, protests erupted, so he asked that all representatives, pages and staff clear the House floor. Representative Zephyr not only chose to ignore his direction but also incited the nearly 30 minutes of continued disruption. As a leader, I would have expected Representative Zephyr to bring calm to the situation by asking those individuals to quiet themselves and bring order back to the chamber. I would expect the same actions to be taken by the other 99 representatives present on the House floor.
Protests may happen outside the Capitol building and even inside the rotunda, but the chamber of our House of Representations deserves respect, proper decorum and order from our citizens. It speaks to the foundation of our democracy and is much bigger than any one individual.
