Montana lawmakers can now decide if their communication with lobbyists and outside groups is available to the public. That’s due to a court order from a Lewis and Clark County judge.
Montana district judge Christopher Abbott this summer ruled that lawmakers' communications with private individuals were privileged, and therefore not subject to the public’s right to know.
That information was previously kept in public record as part of “junque files”. Those are folders documenting communications between lawmakers and other parties while drafting bills.
Legislator’s staff attorneys say individual lawmakers can sign waivers giving up their privilege and make those communications public, but Abbott’s ruling means they’re not obligated to.
Abbott ordered that copies of bill drafts and lawmakers’ communications with other government officials remain public.
The order came in an ongoing lawsuit over the 2023 Legislature’s redrawing of maps for seats on the Public Service Commission.
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Gov. Gianforte says one of his top priorities before leaving office is to pass a flat income tax rate. The state’s healthy budget has supported tax cuts in recent legislative sessions, but revenue growth is slowing. -
Montana is falling far short of best practices when it comes to paying for school maintenance. That’s according to a new nationwide report on school facilities. The message from Montana’s school maintenance directors to lawmakers is straightforward: “We need help.” -
New analysis from Montana legislative staff shows the state’s share of school budgets has gone up in dollar amount over the last two decades. But due to inflation, the value of that money has stayed almost exactly the same as it was in 2008. -
Montanans charged or convicted of crimes in the state often face barriers finding a job and housing, long after their cases have closed. And the internet creates a permanent record. The state is looking at ways to change that. -
Amid internal strife at the Montana Public Service Commission, a legislative committee will study reshaping the state’s utility oversight board.
