A reflection, and a bittersweet farewell

I have had the opportunity to serve with three governors, two Democrats and one Republican. I’ve served on House Judiciary, House and Senate Fish and Game, and House and Senate Education. I enjoyed serving on each of these committees, though, House and Senate Education is where I feel I made the most impact by bringing my passion as a teacher. I’ve had the opportunity to carry many bills; some were my own, some were constituent bills, and some were bills I worked with members of both parties to bring forward. Suicide prevention training, mobile crisis unit and the health insurance trust for schools are great examples of working with both sides of the aisle.

The 68th Legislative session is the last one for me, and it was very different from previous sessions. My colleagues and I, as Senate Democrats, worked tirelessly for working Montanans. We accomplished some good work in the budget, from expanding access to critical health care services by increasing Medicaid provider rates, to removing lead from drinking water in our schools. A bipartisan bill that I worked on for two years to give Montana’s teachers and school employees’ better health insurance made it across the finish line in the Legislature, and is now on its way to the Governor’s desk.

While we had some successes, we also saw a great deal of bills come out of the Legislature that will hurt working Montanans. Republicans spent too much of our time attacking the freedoms of Montanans, cutting taxes for the wealthiest and taking public money out of public schools. The number of bills we’ve seen this session is unprecedented, and too many of them were partisan and divisive, taking our focus away from the issues Montanans care about.

Something I’ve learned in my many years at the Capitol is that there are good reasons we meet for a maximum of 90 days every other year. It can be easy to get caught up in the echo chamber of the Capitol, and politics is a special kind of beast that can cloud any legislator’s best thinking. It's a good thing to end sessions when we do, as Montanans don’t benefit if we carry on for too long.

This session was different in many ways. It stands out to me as the longest session I’ve ever been a part of. As the session drew to a close, our Minority Leader, Pat Flowers (D-Belgrade), made an important decision. Knowing that Montanans would not benefit from legislators being in the building any longer, he motioned to adjourn sine die, which means to end the session. Our caucus agreed with that decision, but we weren’t the only ones: 10 Republicans felt the same way, as they voted with us.

In other words, there is a time to work and a time to go home. For me, it was time to go home. I can’t wait to be back in the classroom, teaching Montana’s children and watching them learn; not only learn what is taught in class, but learn about themselves and the world around them.

I want to thank my family for all the support they have given me. Especially my husband, Danny, who has made the biggest sacrifice every two years for 90 days. Thank you, Danny, for keeping the home fires burning and always, always being there for me.

Most of all, I want to thank all of you, my constituents, for the opportunity to serve you. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as your representative and as your senator.

Edie McClafferty (D-Butte) is the state senator for District 38. This was her last legislative session, as her term ends on Jan. 6, 2025.