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Lawmakers hear bill to add recruitment and retention funds for Missoula crime lab
Summary
Representative Jane Gillette introduced House Bill 870 to provide $120,000 this year and $120,000 next year (one-time-only) for recruitment and retention at the Missoula crime lab; sponsors and members discussed training, recent staff losses and whether the proposal duplicates larger recruitment funds in HB2.
Representative Jane Gillette (R) introduced House Bill 870, an appropriation to provide recruitment and retention funds to Montana's crime lab. "Today I bring before you House Bill 8 70. And it's an appropriation bill. It has just a tiny amount, capturing it from, the surplus revenue of $120,000 and then next year, $120,000 all OTO, for the purposes of providing recruitment and retention, funds to the crime lab," Gillette said.
Gillette said she toured the Missoula crime lab and found its work "absolutely remarkable" and that staff training is lengthy; she told the committee the lab had recently lost at least one medical examiner and other specialty scientists and that a small, targeted amount could help with retention and recruitment. She cited a Gallatin County cold case that took about 20 years to resolve and said delayed testing can impede case resolutions.
Committee members asked whether the request duplicated recruitment and retention funding already considered in HB2 and whether the executive branch would better allocate larger recruitment pools. Representative Nave noted HB2 addressed medical examiner staffing but said the crime lab's broader needs remain. Representative Walsh and Representative Tuss questioned bypassing the standard appropriations/ HB2 path; Gillette said she had committed to the Department of Justice to run the bill after her visit and wanted to ensure the funds specifically reached the crime lab.
Representative Matthews and others raised questions about the bill's broad title and drafting; Gillette said the language was hurried and that staff and the committee could refine it. No final committee vote on House Bill 870 appears in the transcript excerpt provided; the sponsor asked for a do-pass recommendation during the hearing but the record shows only that the hearing closed.
The transcript includes members' questions and requests for follow-up information from agencies about staffing losses and how this request relates to HB2 funding.
