Legislative Updates

Last night, Friday, April 5th, after the adjournment of both the House and the Senate, the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Judicial Branch, Law Enforcement, and Justice (Part D) convened at 6 p.m. for an unscheduled “work study” meeting regarding HB 773 (a bill titled “Modifying entitlement share payments”).

Week twelve of the 66th Legislative Session has almost come to a close, with the House of Representatives working until late Friday evening to try and get the last few revenue and appropriation bills, as well as bills proposing referenda, transmitted to the Senate before Monday, April 1st. They will reconvene at 9 a.m. on Saturday to continue the effort. The bills that don’t make it to the alternate House before Monday will be considered to have died in the process.

False claims appear to be a reason why the biennial state budget passed by the House last week that shifts $759,000 in Office of Public Defender costs to Montana cities and counties.

Election results could be available earlier if a bill regarding the early preparation of absentee ballots passes the Montana Legislature. Present Montana law says counting cannot commence until Election Day and that absentee ballots cannot be opened, unfolded and stacked for counting until the day before Election Day.

Week eleven of the 66th Legislative Session has almost come to a close, with the Legislature holding just a few more Saturday hearings tomorrow (March 23rd) at 12:30 p.m. Tomorrow is also the transmittal deadline for the revenue-estimating joint resolution and the last day to request study resolutions.  Monday is the last day to introduce appropriation bills, revenue bills & bills proposing referenda; it’s going to be a busy week, with the transmittal for these bills just a week from Monday (April 1st).  Also this week, Senate Finance & Claims will begin its work on HB 2 (the budget bill) all day Tuesday through Thursday.

Week ten of the 66th Legislative Session has almost come to a close, with the Legislature holding its first Saturday hearings tomorrow (March 16th) at 9 a.m. Next week brings the last day for committees to request revenue bills, bills proposing referenda, and bills implementing HB 2 (March 19th) as well as the deadline for the transmittal of the revenue-estimating joint resolution and the last day to request study resolutions (March 23rd).  The budget bill (HB 2) completed its hearings in the House Appropriations Committee, so also coming next week is Second Reading for HB 2 on the House Floor on Monday at 1 p.m. and Tuesday all day (March 18th-19th).

Week nine of the 66th Legislative Session and transmittal break have passed.  The budget (HB 2) is officially heating up, with the Appropriations Committee hearing from the approps subcommittees this last week.  They are scheduled to take executive action on Monday, March 11th, which means it will be headed to the house floor the following week.

Week eight of the 66th Legislative Session and “transmittal” has come and gone; that means we have completed 45 days and have 45 left to go!  This particular transmittal requires that all “general bills” to be heard in their first House and be transmitted to the other House (Senate bills transmit to the House and House bills transmit to the Senate).  The bills that don’t transmit to the other house can be considered to have died in the process.  The next transmittal is for revenue-estimating joint resolutions on March 23rd, but the next BIG transmittal is April 1st, which is the transmittal of appropriation bills, revenue bills, and bills proposing referenda.

Week seven of the 66th Legislative Session was a wild ride, and the week of transmittal is just about to begin, which means we’re almost to the halfway point, with two months officially invested and two left to go!

We’ve completed a very busy sixth week of the 66th Legislative Session, and week seven is just a day and a half away, which means transmittal is looming in just 14 short days…