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Committee rejects proposal to create political 'do-not-mail' registry
Summary
Senate Bill 557 would have directed the Commissioner of Political Practices to host an opt-out list for political mail; informational witnesses said technical and enforcement issues would be complex and the committee recorded a negative vote.
Senate Bill 557, sponsored by Senator Ellie Bohman, would have authorized the Commissioner of Political Practices to maintain a website allowing Montana residents to opt out of receiving political mailers. The committee rejected the bill after hearing questions about technical feasibility, enforcement and constitutional risks.
Senator Bohman said the proposal is modeled on a "do-not-call" concept and would allow voters to register an address to opt out of political campaign mail. Proponent testimony included Patch Keywaki, who told the committee opt-out lists could reduce waste and unwanted mail in communities. The Commissioner of Political Practices provided informational witnesses—Scott Cook and Shelly Hendrickson Scott—who said the agency had not yet fully parsed implementation and raised concerns about storage, data handling and whether enforcement authority exists in the bill.
Cook said the agency did not have enough time to fully analyze the technical work required and would need to coordinate with state IT services. Hendrickson Scott said the office can maintain a website but was unsure which agency would be responsible for enforcement; she also flagged potential constitutional and administrative issues.
Committee members also asked about overlap with existing consumer-protection tools; Bohman pointed to the Office of Consumer Protection and existing do-not-call provisions as related frameworks. Opponents were not present in the room, though committee members raised constitutional concerns: one senator said he believed the proposal would be found unconstitutional.
On final action the committee recorded a roll-call vote with 3 members in favor and 6 opposed; the bill failed and was moved to the table without objection.
