An update from Rep. Ingraham
The State Administration & Veterans Affairs Committee (SAVA) will be meeting on Thursday, February 6th in room 102 of the Capitol Building beginning at 10:00 a.m. for those of you interested in following the work of the committee, especially in regards to their work on elections and the Office of the Commissioner of Political Practices. This is, once again, an opportunity for you, the public, to listen in as proceedings are unfolding. You also may personally attend the meeting if you are able to make the journey to Helena.
SAVA’s morning schedule will again be focused on House Joint Resolution 1 (HJR 1) – The Study of the Office of Commissioner of Political Practices. The committee’s legislative research analyst will review the findings of a 50 state survey regarding how other states address campaign oversight and issues. The analyst also will present a summary of ideas and suggestions which resulted from the committee’s December 10th round table discussions.
The round table discussions covered ideas such as: (1) Simplifying Campaign Reporting Requirements - for example: put a minimum threshold on what expenditures need disclaimers, eliminate the 24-hour & 72-hour reporting, eliminate prohibitions on corporate contributions to candidates and having the same limits as for individuals ($170.00); (2) Structure and Funding of the Office - for example: have investigations done independently of the Commissioner’s office, provide the office another attorney, and provide for a litigation fund; and, (3) Appointment and Qualifications - for example: determine if the Commissioner of Political Practices needs to be an attorney, and if so, have the Judicial Nomination Commission do the screening on appointments of the Commissioner, then the Judicial Nomination Commission would pass a list of candidates to the Governor, then, once the Governor makes a selection, the Senate would confirmation that person to the Office of Commissioner of Political Practices.
The remainder of the morning session will include the Committee’s Legislative Attorney leading a discussion on a legal memo concerning the confirmation of interim appointments of Commissioner of Political Practices. Then the Commissioner of Political Practices, Mr. Johnathan Motl, will present a report from his office on the percentage of time spent on small violations compared to bigger issues.
The afternoon session will cover topics which include data on Montana’s veteran population, an overview of what services are provided by Montana Veterans’ Affairs Division, office locations, pension oversight, administrative rule review activity, and public comment. In addition, the SAVA Committee will receive an update on the Senate Joint Resolution 14 subcommittee’s January 17th work session which covered inconsistent election deadlines and a round table discussion on the election process. That round table discussion included participation from others who are involved in various aspects of the election process including the public, Secretary of State’s Office, Office of Public Education, School District Clerks, County Election Administrators, League of Cities & Towns, County Clerk & Recorders, Montana Association of Counties and the School Board Association. Following public comment regarding the Subcommittees work and committee questions, the SAVA Committee will move into a work session to decide what the next steps should be for the House Joint Resolution 1 study, if they, as a Committee, want to introduce a clean-up bill to amend or remove unconstitutional campaign practices during the 2015 Legislative Session and address any other issues they feel need their oversight/input.
If you’d like to hear or watch the hearing as it is occurring and have access to a computer, you can do so by going to the legislative website at www.leg.mt.gov to access these connections. If you have questions on how to access or use these connections, or to make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, you can contact the SAVA Committee’s legislative staff, Ms. Sheri Scurr at 406-444-3596.
Now it’s your turn to “Keep in Touch”. I can be reached 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.