Senate Ethics Committee reviews draft report on Sen. Jason Ellsworth’s contracts, delays adoption

HELENA — The Senate Ethics Committee reviewed a draft report on March 15, 2025, that details findings about contracts Senator Jason Ellsworth signed with an outside contractor and related questions about disclosure and procurement. Committee members heard staff read the draft findings, raised questions about factual wording and sourcing, and agreed to give counsel time to revise the report before considering adoption at a follow-up meeting.

The draft report, read to the committee by committee counsel Ron Carroll, summarizes documentary and testimonial evidence gathered during an adjudicatory hearing that concluded March 15. "After receiving extensive documentary and testimonial evidence, the Senate Ethics Committee makes the following findings of fact," Carroll read as he introduced the document. The draft organizes findings around the statutory charge in section 2-2-112, Montana Code Annotated (referenced in the draft as "2 2 1 12 MCA"), and includes a timeline, attachments, and 27 proposed factual statements.

Why it matters: The committee is deciding whether Ellsworth violated the statutory disclosure rules governing legislators' personal or private interests in matters on which they act. The draft alleges that Ellsworth signed two contracts on Dec. 26, 2024, and submitted or approved related invoices that raised both procurement and disclosure concerns. Committee members emphasized the committee's role in producing factual findings and asked counsel to avoid conclusory…