Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Montana House committee backs tougher penalties, mandatory investigations for perjury and false swearing
Summary
Representatives approved a committee recommendation to increase penalties for perjury and require outside-agency investigation of credible allegations of perjury and false swearing. The measure drew debate over costs and civil-liberty concerns.
The Montana House committee recommended passage of House Bill 569, a measure that would raise penalties for perjury and change how credible allegations of perjury and false swearing are investigated.
Sponsor Representative Klacken said the measure responds to instances in which witnesses or affidavit authors provide false statements with no apparent consequences. “When a person is convicted of perjury shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for a term not less than six months or more than 10 years,” Klacken said, reading the bill language as introduced. The bill would also revise penalties for false swearing in affidavits, including a county-jail term and a possible fine.
Representative Reves urged a no…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
