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Law and Justice Interim Committee elects officers, adopts rules and work plan; removes medical-debt topic
Summary
On July 16, 2025, the Montana Law and Justice Interim Committee elected Rep. Amy Regier presiding officer and Rep. Zooey Zephyr vice presiding officer, adopted the 2025 interim rules and a work plan, removed the committee’s 'Collection of Medical Debt' topic by 6–3 roll call, and adjusted an FTE allocation for HJR 32.
The Law and Justice Interim Committee convened July 16, 2025, in Helena and voted to install Rep. Amy Regier as Presiding Officer and Rep. Zooey Zephyr as Vice Presiding Officer, adopted the committee’s 2025 Rules, Procedures, and Guidelines, and approved a revised interim work plan that eliminated the member-requested topic “Collection of Medical Debt.”
Sen. Barry Usher nominated Rep. Amy Regier for Presiding Officer; the nomination carried unanimously by voice vote. Usher also nominated Sen. Shane Morigeau for Vice Presiding Officer, but Morigeau declined and instead nominated Rep. Zooey Zephyr; the vice presiding officer nomination carried 5–4 by voice vote.
The committee adopted the 2025 Rules, Procedures, and Guidelines for Interim Committees after a motion from Rep. Steven Kelly; that motion passed by unanimous voice vote. Later in the afternoon, the committee debated and voted on items in its draft work plan. Sen. Barry Usher moved, with Rep. Braxton Mitchell seconding, to remove the member-requested topic “Collection of Medical Debt” from the interim work plan. The motion carried 6–3 on a roll call vote; Vice Presiding Officer Zooey Zephyr voted by proxy in the roll call where noted.
A separate motion to remove the topic “Helping Alleviate Lawful Obstruction (HALO) Law” failed by roll call (the motion did not carry). Rep. Steven Kelly successfully moved to change the full-time equivalent (FTE) allocation for House Joint Resolution 32 from 0.10 to 0.075; that motion passed unanimously by roll call vote. Sen. Barry Usher then moved to adopt the FTE allocation as presented and the remainder of the work plan (except proposed meeting dates); that motion carried 7–2 by voice vote.
The committee concluded by adopting meeting dates and adjourning at 2:04 p.m.
Why it matters: The officer elections and adopted rules set leadership and procedural expectations for the interim. Removing the medical-debt item narrows the committee’s docket and signals prioritization among member-requested topics; the FTE change for HJR 32 adjusts staff resource allocation for a bill the committee will track during the interim.
