Senate Ethics Committee opens investigation into Sen. Jason Ellsworth, votes to pursue hearings

The Montana Senate Ethics Committee on Feb. 3 read a formal notice alleging that Sen. Jason Ellsworth potentially violated state ethics and procurement rules in connection with contracts awarded to Agile Analytics LLC and voted to pursue hearings into the matter.

The committee read a notice letter into the record that cites a legislative auditor memorandum dated Jan. 24, 2025 (Ref. Y25-0076) and identifies alleged facts and statutory provisions that form the basis for an investigation. The committee then approved a motion to pursue hearings based on the allegations in the letter.

The notice, read into the record by committee counsel, states that on Jan. 27 the full Senate voted 49-0 to convene the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate whether the senator from Senate District 43 violated or potentially violated provisions of the Montana Code of Ethics, the joint rules of the Legislature, the rules of the Senate, or other law or administrative rule. The letter attaches the legislative auditor’s memorandum as Exhibit 1 and lists the statutes and authorities the committee will consider.

Why it matters: The allegations center on the procurement and structuring of contracts with Agile Analytics, including whether prior personal or business relationships with Agile’s owner, Bryce Eggleston, were disclosed and whether the work was improperly split into multiple contracts to avoid procurement thresholds. The initial contract terms are described in the notice as exceeding $100,000, which, if accurate, would trigger competitive‑bidding or other procurement requirements under state law.

Alleg…