Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Campaign Finance Reform topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears near-unanimous public support for constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United
Summary
The House State Administration Committee heard testimony supporting House Joint Resolution 11, which urges Congress to propose a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United; dozens of proponents described out‑of‑state spending and its effects on Montana elections, and the sponsor closed with a 'Vote Green' recommendation but no committee vote was taken.
The House State Administration Committee opened a hearing on House Joint Resolution 11, a joint resolution urging Congress to propose a constitutional amendment to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. Representative Staffman, the sponsor, framed the resolution as a federal remedy to what he called an "out of control" surge in outside spending that is drowning out ordinary citizens' voices in Montana elections.
"This is out of control," Representative Staffman said, urging the committee to back a resolution that would add Montana's voice to other states seeking a federal amendment. His opening described an amendment and several "whereas" clauses citing long-term increases in outside spending and Montana's history of corruption tied to concentrated wealth.
Dozens of proponents—appearing in the room and online—testified in favor. Durf Johnson of the Montana Environmental Information Center said Citizens United has "drowned out" everyday voices. Sophie Moon of the Montana Public Interest Research Group cited PBS reporting that more than $300,000,000 was spent on the 2024 Montana U.S. Senate race and urged members to act. Multiple witnesses, including Gilles Stockton of the Montana Cattlemen's Association and Joe Loose of Move to Amend, used direct language such as "corporations are not people" and called for a constitutional fix.
Witnesses described harms they attributed to large-scale spending: negative and persistent advertising, pressure on officials worried about being targeted by well-funded groups, and diminished time for elected officials to focus on constituent work. Evan Barrett, a long-time legislative observer, summarized the shift in campaign spending patterns and urged passage of the resolution as "the first step" toward returning electoral power to ordinary Montanans.
Several witnesses cited outside data sources during testimony. Sophie Moon named PBS reporting on the 2024 Senate race; Mary Kathryn Dunphy cited OpenSecrets when discussing the portion of spending from outside Montana. The sponsor's prepared remarks, as transcribed, contained an anomalous figure written as "$300,000,000,000"; that appears inconsistent with other testimony and public reporting and is likely a transcription or typographical error. Multiple witnesses and public reporting cited sums on the order of hundreds of millions for the 2024 Montana Senate race.
No opponents appeared on the record during the hearing. After the public testimony, Representative Staffman closed and recommended a positive committee recommendation with the words "Vote Green." The transcript does not record a formal committee vote on HJ 11 during this session.
The committee concluded with scheduling announcements: no meeting on Monday; meetings Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m.; and a Thursday field trip to Fort Harrison. The committee then adjourned.
What happens next: the transcript records the hearing, the sponsor's closing recommendation, and no recorded committee vote. A formal committee motion or vote on HJ 11 is not recorded in the provided transcript.
