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Committee declines to concur on study of public participation and bill-tracking
Summary
Representative Jonathan Karlin introduced HJ 38 to study how the public engages with Montana's legislative process and recent digital changes; proponents praised online access but committee members split over timing and overlap with existing IT work, and the motion to concur failed in committee.
Representative Jonathan Karlin introduced House Joint Resolution 38 as a study of public participation in the legislature and how the public interacts with the chamber's bill-tracking and outreach tools. Karlin told the committee the measure would take an "all-stakeholders" look at what has worked and what has not, including recent changes such as a legislator portal and other digital systems.
Webb Brown, representing himself, testified in support, saying online access and Zoom have expanded participation across Montana but that the new system still presents functional gaps. "Anytime in-person is better," Brown said of testimony, but he added that remote testimony "is far better than not having people engaged" for those who cannot travel to Helena. Brown urged the committee to pursue improvements to make it easier for constituents and advocates to find hearing information and for legislators to see constituent comments.
Committee members raised logistical and jurisdictional concerns. Senator Dunwell asked whether the study should consider physical space and accessibility, noting crowded hallways and small committee rooms. Other members cautioned that the Legislative IT Council and staff are already working on system fixes; one member warned that launching a parallel study while implementation is underway could create conflicting directions for IT staff.
Senator Dunwell proposed a conceptual amendment to keep the study within the Legislative Council by asking the council to designate an appropriate subcommittee rather than referring the work to an interim or statutory committee. The committee took a roll-call vote on the measure. The chair announced that concurrence in HJ 38 failed in committee. The transcript does not record a clear numeric roll-call tally in unambiguous form; the chair said only that the resolution "fails."
A subsequent motion to table HJ 38 was moved, and committee members discussed whether the sponsor had been properly noticed for the hearing. The transcript leaves the final disposition of that tabling motion unclear.
The committee's discussion centered on balancing improvements to digital access and outreach with an acknowledgement that staff and the Legislative IT Council are already making adjustments. Karlin said the purpose of the study was to create an organized, stakeholder-driven review during the interim so legislators and members of the public can better engage with and understand the process.
The committee moved on to the next item following the failed concurrence vote.
