The Montana Senate on opening day approved a substitute set of temporary operating rules that removes the standing Executive Branch Review Committee from the regular committee roster and places it in an "on-call" status, a change supporters said will free experienced members to staff other committees.

Senator Flowers, Minority Leader, moved the substitute motion to adopt the rules as distributed on members' desks and described the change as a reassignment of members from the executive review committee to other class 1 committees and a narrowing of bills that would go to the on‑call executive review committee to department head appointment confirmations.

The motion prompted more than a dozen senators to debate the procedural change. Opponents, including Senator McGilvray, Majority Leader, argued the rules committee had already provided a recommended, "clean" set of rules and said the substitute was premature. Senator Glenn, chair of the Committee on Committees, urged colleagues to preserve the committee assignments that had been worked out by that body. Supporters, including Senator Ellsworth, said the executive review body had historically handled large bill loads and that the proposed temporary change reflected expected bill flow and would better use member expertise.

After floor debate the chamber voted by roll call: 27 senators voted aye and 23 voted no. The clerk announced the motion to adopt the substitute temporary rules had been approved.

The adopted substitute, as described on the floor, (1) places the Executive Branch Review Committee on an on‑call basis rather than as a standing assignment, (2) reassigns members previously placed on that committee to other committees, and (3) specifies that bills routed to the on‑call committee will be limited to department head appointment decisions. No further implementation timetable or follow-up reporting requirement was specified on the floor.

Senators who spoke for and against the motion emphasized committee workload and the balance of confirmation authority: supporters said the change avoids an overly congested executive committee; opponents warned consolidating confirmation authority risks concentrating power in a single committee. Several senators noted the rules are temporary and can be revisited if bill flow or committee needs change.

Votes at a glance

Motion to adopt substitute temporary rules (substitute offered by Senator Flowers): Passed, 27 ayes, 23 noes. Outcome: approved.