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Committee approves HB125 and HB181 in executive action; HB181 passes on roll call
Summary
The House State Administration Committee approved two bills in executive action: HB125 (expanding pool of school-election judges) passed by voice vote; HB181 (clarifying highway-patrol arrest authority on the Capitol Complex) passed on a roll call, 11–8, after members raised jurisdiction concerns.
The House State Administration Committee approved two bills in executive action before opening the day's hearings.
HB125, sponsored earlier in the session, passed on a voice vote. Ms. Power explained the measure clarifies that when an election administrator conducts a school election they may use trained election judges from anywhere within the county, not only from inside the school district, increasing the pool of available judges. The committee proceeded with a voice vote and the chair announced HB125 passes.
The committee then considered HB181, introduced by Representative Zolnikoff and described in committee testimony as a statutory clarification to allow the highway patrol to make arrests on the Capitol Complex. During discussion several members raised concerns about the bill’s definition of “Capitol Complex,” specifically language that could extend arrest authority to “all state buildings within a 10-mile radius,” potentially creating overlapping jurisdiction with municipal police. "That gives arrest authority in a huge circle around Helena," one member said, noting discomfort with potential conflicts.
The committee first took a voice vote and then proceeded to a roll-call vote. The roll call concluded with 11 members voting yes and 8 voting no; the chair announced HB181 passes and closed executive action on the bill.
Next steps: HB125 and HB181 will be placed on the legislature’s processing timeline according to chamber procedures.
