Montana lawmakers are one step closer to having more oversight at the state psychiatric hospital. A bill that would give legislators access to the facility had its second hearing Monday.
Lawmakers say having the ability to visit the facility will give them a better idea of how reforms at the facility are working.
Information about abuse, neglect, injuries and deaths at the Montana State Hospital aren’t public record under state law. Lawmakers say that makes it hard to implement policy.
Previously, serious incidents at the hospital were made public by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The agency pulled funding and oversight in 2022 after four patients died.
State health officials say they are working to recertify the hospital, but that process is likely to take years.
The bill giving lawmakers access to the hospital received overwhelming bipartisan support in the House. It unanimously passed out of the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee. It now heads to the Senate floor.
