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Senate Business and Labor committee confirms appointees to Human Rights Commission, clinical lab board and pharmacy board
Summary
The Senate Business and Labor Committee voted to confirm gubernatorial appointees to three state boards — the Human Rights Commission, the Board of Clinical Laboratory Science Practitioners and the Board of Pharmacy — and forwarded the nominations to the full Senate after brief hearings and proponent testimony.
The Senate Business and Labor Committee on March 2 advanced three sets of gubernatorial appointments to the full Senate, voting in committee to confirm nominees to the Montana Human Rights Commission, the Board of Clinical Laboratory Science Practitioners and the Board of Pharmacy.
Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras testified for the governor’s nominees and described the Human Rights Commission as “a quasi-judicial board composed of five members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate,” outlining its role hearing appeals from the Department of Labor and Industry’s Human Rights Bureau. She urged support for the governor’s choices of Curtis Alme, Peter Damro and Connie Sartain to fill three positions on the commission. Peter Damro, who currently chairs the commission, spoke to his colleagues’ workload and the frequency of hearings; appointee Connie Sartain said she had served since May 2024 and looked forward to a four-year term.
On nominations to the Board of Clinical Laboratory Science Practitioners, Juras and Kevin Bragg, bureau chief for professional licensing at the Department of Labor and Industry, described recent statutory changes standardizing term start dates and lengths. Kara Bushmaker, who said she is a laboratory manager in Hamilton and explained the distinction between national certification and Montana licensure, requested confirmation to continue serving; Michelle Griffin submitted written testimony and was recommended for confirmation.
The committee also considered three nominees for the Board of Pharmacy. Juras noted the board’s five-member structure and the state’s recent restaggering of terms. Paul Brand, Michelle Case and Logan Tinson each described professional backgrounds in pharmacy practice and requested continued service; Tony King of the Montana Pharmacy Association spoke in their support.
Committee members repeatedly emphasized the public-health role of pharmacists and laboratory professionals during brief question-and-answer periods. There were no recorded objections to the nominations in committee; the three resolutions were carried out of committee for floor consideration.
The committee will refer the nominations to the full Senate for confirmation votes.
