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Commissioner of Political Practices outlines enforcement role, cites campaign finance and lobbying workload
Summary
Commissioner Chris Gallus briefed the committee on the Commissioner of Political Practices office's enforcement role under the Corrupt Practices Act (Title 13, Chapter 35), the office's complaint-driven process, orders of noncompliance, staffing (seven positions), statewide trainings, and potential agency bill topics including AI and streamlining procedures.
Commissioner Chris Gallus presented an overview of the Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP), framing the office's mission as maintaining disclosure, transparency, and compliance in campaign finance, lobbying, and ethics for statewide officials and state employees.
Gallus told the committee COPP's authority traces to the Corrupt Practices Act (Title 13, Chapter 35) and related provisions; he described the agency as small (seven staff) and largely complaint-driven, with an enforcement tool called an "order of noncompliance" (statute cited in testimony: "thirteen-thirty seven-one 121"). He said much of the office's day-to-day work is compliance assistance for candidates, committees, and lobbyists and emphasized outreach and training across Montana.
The commissioner discussed possible agency bill topics for the session, including measures related to artificial intelligence activity and proposals to streamline orders of noncompliance and indexing for lobbying thresholds. He said COPP intends to provide guidance and impact assessments to the committee on proposed changes rather than take policy positions unless compelled by legal or constitutional issues.
Gallus noted COPP conducted trainings across the state, reported generally high compliance rates, and highlighted the need to balance enforcement and assistance.
