During lawmakers’ 80 days of work, 1,313 bills were introduced and as of mid-day Friday at least 302 had been signed into law. GOP Power Montana Republicans have come a long way since they last left the state Capitol building in 2019, when then-GOP House Majority Leader Brad Tschida stood on the floor of the chamber and bemoaned the divisions in their caucus while a Democratic governor held the power of the veto pen. Two years later, the The first show of power from Republicans came in setting the tone and rules for how lawmakers would gather and get their work during the pandemic.