Montana State Legislature
2019-2020 Law and Justice
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The committee has completed its work for the 2019-2020 interim.
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Upcoming Meeting Dates:
2021 meeting dates TBD
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About the Committee
The Law and Justice Interim Committee (LJIC) is a 12-member bipartisan interim committee tasked by law to monitor the activities of the Department of Justice, the Department of Corrections, and the Office of State Public Defender. The LJIC also serves as the liaison to the Judicial Branch.
Rep. Barry Usher, Presiding Officer
Sen. Jen Gross, Vice Presiding Officer
Committee Members
Public Comment Guidelines for the LJIC
September 14, 2020: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/ Audio
August 19, 2020: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/Audio
July 13, 2020: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/Audio
June 30, 2020: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/Audio
June 12, 2020: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/Audio
May 29, 2020: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/ Audio
May 12, 2020: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/ Audio
March 30, 2020: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/Audio
January 28, 2020: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/Audio
January 27, 2020: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/ Audio
November 18, 2019: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/Audio
September 9, 2019: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/ Audio
June 28, 2019: Agenda - Minutes Log - Video/ Audio
Agency Oversight
- The LJIC agency oversight duties are assigned by law, including sections 5-5-215, MCA, and 5-5-226, MCA. More detail on those duties is available on the committee's Agency Oversight page.
Assigned Studies
- The LJIC was assigned 4 studies by the Legislative Council in May 2019. More information about each study is available on individual study pages.
- Update on study progress -- March 30, 2020
- Question Roundup (SJ 19 and HJ 31) -- May 12, 2020
Administrative Rule Review Information
Miscellaneous Committee Topics
- HB 715 Study: Twenty-year History of Agency Expenditures (November 2019) -- Legislative Fiscal Division
- Pretrial Decisionmaking
- Jail Data, Risk Assessment, and Local Research, May 2020 -- Dr. Todd Clear, Rutgers University
- Safety and Justice Challenge, May 2020 -- Bria L. Gillum, MacArthur Foundation
- Pretrial Release: State Laws and Recent Legislation, May 2020 -- Amber Widgery, NCSL
- Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils, May 2020 -- Robin Wosje, Justice Management Institute
- The Potential of Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils -- Justice Management Institute
- Infographic: The Public Safety Assessment (PSA) -- Arnold Ventures
- COVID-19 Information
- Judicial Branch and Agency Responses to COVID-19, April 6 -- LJIC staff
- Department of Corrections
- Governor Bullock's April 1 Directive on Preventing Spread of COVID-19 in State Correctional Facilities
- Department of Corrections Update on COVID-19 Response, August 19
- Department of Corrections Update on COVID-19 Response, July 13
- Department of Corrections Update on COVID-19 Response, June 30
- Department of Corrections Update on COVID-19 Response, June 10
- Sentinel Testing Update #1, May 26
- Department of Corrections Update to LJIC, May 12
- Department of Corrections Update to LJIC, March 30
- Department of Corrections COVID-19 website
- Judicial Branch
- Department of Justice
Administrative Documents
- List of past presiding officers of the LJIC, 2019
- Legislative Council Rules, Procedures, and Guidelines for the 2019-2020 interim
- LJIC Work Plan -- adopted September 2019
- LJIC Work Plan Matrix -- last revised September 2019
- Meeting Chart version 1.0 -- September 2019
2019-2020 LJIC Legislation
Committee Legislation for the 2021 Legislature
- Bill Draft Table
- LC 450 (HJ31-1): Revise staffing and structure of Board of Crime Control
- LC 451 (HJ31-2): Revise duties of Board of Crime Control
- LC 452 H(J31-3): Revise membership of the Board of Crime Control
- LC 485 (SJ19-1C): Revise laws related to sexual offender evaluations and treatment
- LC 454 (SJ19-6A): Provide for automatic removal from the violent offender registry after 10 years
To Be Considered at the September 14, 2020, Meeting
- Bill Draft Table
- HJ31-1 - Revise staffing and structure of Board of Crime Control
- HJ31-2 - Revise duties of Board of Crime Control
- HJ31-3 - Revise membership of the Board of Crime Control
- HJ36-1 - Establish compensation program for wrongfully convicted individuals
- SJ19-1C - Revise laws related to sexual offender evaluations and treatment
- SJ19-2 - Eliminate violent offender registry
- SJ19-3 - Revise sex offender registry to make it private
- SJ19-5 - Prohibit employers from asking about conviction history on applications
- SJ19-6A - Provide for automatic removal from the violent offender registry after 10 years
- SJ19-7 - Prohibit a condition of probation or parole that requires an offender to inform a landlord or employer of a criminal conviction
As Considered at the July 13, 2020, Meeting
- Bill Draft Table
- HJ31-1 - Revise staffing and structure of Board of Crime Control
- HJ31-2 - Revise duties of Board of Crime Control
- HJ31-3 - Revise membership of the Board of Crime Control
- HJ36-1 - Establish compensation program for wrongfully convicted individuals
- SJ19-1A - Revise qualifications for psychosexual evaluators
- SJ19-1B - Revise laws related to sex offender evaluations and treatment
- SJ19-2A - Eliminate violent offender registry
- SJ19-2B - Eliminate violent offender registry, vacate convictions for failure to register after 10 years
- SJ19-3 - Revise sex offender registry to make it private
- SJ19-5 - Prohibit employers from asking about conviction history on applications
- SJ19-6A - Provide for automatic removal from the violent offender registry after 10 years
- SJ19-7 - Prohibit a condition of probation or parole that requires an offender to inform a landlord or employer of a criminal conviction
As Considered at the June 12, 2020, Meeting
- Bill draft table
- SJ19-1 - Revise qualifications for psychosexual evaluators to include membership in Montana Sexual Offender Treatment Association
- SJ19-2 - Eliminate violent offender registry
- SJ19-3 - Revise sex offender registry to make it private
- SJ19-4 - Revise tier 1 of sex offender registry to provide for automatic removal after 3 years
As Considered at the May 29, 2020, Meeting
- Bill draft table
- HJ31-1 - Revise structure and staffing of Board of Crime Control
- HJ36-1 - Establish compensation program for wrongfully convicted individuals
As Considered at the May 12, 2020, Meeting
- Bill draft table
- HJ31-1 - Revise structure and staffing of Board of Crime Control
- HJ36-1 - Establish compensation program for wrongfully convicted individuals
- SJ19-1 - Revise qualifications for psychosexual evaluators to include membership in Montana Sexual Offender Treatment Association
- SJ19-2 - Eliminate violent offender registry
- SJ19-3 - Revise sex offender registry to make it private
- SJ19-4 - Revise tier 1 of sex offender registry to provide for automatic removal after 3 years
Agency Legislative Requests
In late spring and early summer of 2020, the executive branch agencies and the Judicial Branch begin to request legislation for the 2021 session. Those requests (often still in draft or conceptual stages) are reviewed by the appropriate interim committee, which may chose to direct staff to draft the legislation. Those agency bills are not LJIC bills nor is the request an endorsement of the legislation by the committee or its members. Agencies are required to find legislators to sponsor the agency bills.
The Judicial Branch and the Department of Justice requested authorization to have bills drafted in advance of the 2021 Legislature:
Prior Legislation
Certain statutes require agencies under the jurisdiction of the LJIC to present to the committee reports on various topics. Those reports can be presented to the committee in several ways, depending on the committee's interest. Written reports will be posted here as they become available.
Background Paper: Review of Advisory Councils and Required Reports -- September 2019
Department of Corrections
- Montana Probation and Parole Caseload Study Report -- Department of Corrections (required to be given to the Legislative Finance Committee)
- Compliance inspections of private correctional facilities -- section 53-30-604, MCA -- September 2020
Department of Justice
- Montana False Claims Act report -- section 17-8-416, MCA -- February 2019
- Montana False Claims Act report -- section 17-8-416, MCA -- February 2020
- POST Status Updates -- section 4, chapter 456, Laws of 2019
- Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commissions report -- section 2-15-2017, MCA -- August 2019
- Aggregated data on childhood sexual abuse cases -- section 41-3-210, MCA -- September 2020
- Statewide Public Safety Communications System report - section 44-4-1606, MCA -- September 2019
- Statewide Public Safety Communications System report -- section 44-4-1606, MCA -- September 2020
- Eastern Montana Elder Justice Council -- Executive Order 18-2019 -- December 2020
Judicial Branch
- Judicial Standards Commission report -- section 3-1-1126, MCA -- January 2019
- Youth Court Report, 2018 -- section 41-5-2003, MCA -- September 2019
- Pretrial program pilot project report -- House Bill No. 2 (2019) -- September 2019
- Pretrial program pilot project report -- House Bill No. 2 (2019) -- September 2020