Some Montana lawmakers feel they rushed through the public’s work during the 2023 legislative session. A committee is now considering a cap on the number of bills that can be introduced each session.
During a Legislative Council meeting Thursday, Rep. Rhonda Knudsen, a Republican from Culbertson, said the volume of bills during the 2023 legislative session strained the process.
“In every committee that I was a part of, I felt like we had to rush through our agenda, rush through those bills. And we didn’t give them the due diligence that they deserved,” Knudsen said.
According to legislative staff, lawmakers considered the most bills in one session since 1973. Each bill that’s introduced must be heard in committee and debated on the floor, a process that was sometimes rushed and given public notice last minute. Lawmakers struggled to meet required deadlines throughout the session to advance legislation, and dozens of bills died by default.
Sen. Shannon O’Brien, a Democrat from Missoula, agreed with Knudsen’s assessment.
“There were multiple times throughout the session that I felt like this is not responsible,” O’Brien said.
There’s no limit to the number of bills each lawmaker can request and introduce. The Legislative Council plans to study the issue over the interim and may introduce a cap before next session.