Montana Senate ethics panel examines emergency contracts, hears testimony on Agile Analytics deal

The Montana Senate Ethics Committee on the morning it convened for an adjudicative hearing continued fact‑finding into a contract that former Senate President Jason Ellsworth signed with Agile Analytics, hearing testimony that the president’s office sent two signed contracts and invoices late in December and that the Legislative Services Division and the Department of Administration later reworked the agreement and did not pay the original invoices.

The committee chairman overruled a string of procedural objections to evidence and procedure and denied a request to extend filing time, then took up witness lists and exhibits before calling two witnesses who described how the contract was handled. The hearing focused on whether the procurement was properly processed, whether a sole‑source or exigency justification applied, and whether any disclosure or private‑interest rules were implicated.

Why it matters: the contract was funded from a time‑limited interagency allotment that, testimony showed, was set to expire Dec. 31, 2024. Committee members and counsel said that timing, the governance of procurement delegation authority, and the absence of typical contract safeguards are central to whether the expenditure and the process met legal and ethical standards.

Angie Carter, the Legislative Branch financial…