An update from Rep. Ingraham

When the legislature adjourns it does not just go home and wait for the next election, legislators continue to serve their constituents on a personal level, attend meetings and for many of them, serve on interim committees.

During each legislative session, with the 63rd session being no exception, legislators identify issues they want to study in more depth. They appoint interim committees to conduct these and other studies during the period between sessions. House and Senate leadership decides who will be on the interim committees so the members of the interim committees serve one 20 month term.

The committees often invite experts to present information to them. Members of the public also get a chance to have their say to the interim committees. Both are valuable streams of information for the legislators as they will use what they learn from the interim studies to make well-informed decisions about what bills to consider during the next session.

The Legislative Council is a committee of the leadership of both the House and the Senate which oversees the ongoing activities of the Legislative Division of state government. Under the Legislative Council are a number of interim committees that oversee studies which are assigned by the Council on various subjects. Most of the committees are combinations of two regular session standing committees, each are composed of members of each party from both the House and the Senate in equal numbers and are appointed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.

The Legislative Council as of May 16, 2013 has assigned study resolutions to the various Interim Committees as follows: House Joint (HJ) 17 – Study state pay plans to the Legislative Finance Committee; Senate Joint (SJ) 15 – Study public land management and SJ 4 – Study Virginia City, Nevada City and Reeder’s Alley to the Environmental Quality Council; HJ 1 – Study structure and duties of office of Commissioner of Political Practices and SJ 14 – Study of local government election procedures to the State Administration and Veteran’s Affairs Committee; SJ 6 – Study the impacts of Montana’s renewable portfolio standard to the Energy and Telecom Committee; HJ 16 – Study state operated public institutions and SJ 20 – Study prescription drug abuse to the Children and Families Committee; HJ 25 – Study workers’ compensation and subrogation, other issues and SJ 24 – Study military training applicability to civilian jobs to the Economic Affairs Committee; SJ 23 – Study the tax appeal process and SJ 26 – Study commerce corridors along Montana Highways to the Revenue and Transportation Committee; SJ 22 – Study family law procedure alternatives and SJ 3 – Study the Board of Pardons and Parole to the Law and Justice Committee; HJ 2 – Study state/local government electronic records management to the Education & Local Government Committee; and HJ 26 – Study water ditch/canal easement restatement process options to the Water Policy Committee.

As the committees become more active and meeting dates are scheduled, you will be able access more detailed information by going to www.leg.mt.gov for those topics that you are interested in.

Now it’s your turn to “Keep in Touch” by contacting me regarding your questions and concerns, by contacting me via e-mail at pathd13@blackfoot.net, or call me at 827-4652 or by mail at P.O. Box 1151, Thompson Falls, Montana 59873.