Jerry Howe

With the legislative session over, lawmakers are beginning to look at how to solve some of the state’s biggest issues. They'll study competitive bidding for government contracts, and which branch of government should estimate the cost of a proposed law, among other issues.

Fewer than a third of Montana’s state lawmakers have signed a waiver allowing the public to view behind-the-scenes information used to draft bills. That’s a change from previous legislative sessions, when those files were fully public.