Montana State Legislature
HJ 31 Study of the Montana Board of Crime Control
HJ 31: Study of the Montana Board of Crime Control
Study Background: In 2017, the Legislature changed the structure and staffing of the Board of Crime Control (MBCC). Prior to the 2017, the board was attached to the Department of Justice for administrative purposes only. As of 2020, it is attached to the Department of Corrections, which maintains a bureau to provide staff support to the Board.
HJ 31, sponsored by Rep. Bill Mercer during the 2019 legislative session, requested an interim committee study the basis for the transfer, the board's performance before and after the transfer, and if the current structure and staffing of the board meets the intent of the legislation and allows the board to be effective in controlling crime.
Documents generated during the LJIC's 2019-2020 study of the board are available on this page. To view committee meetings in the 2019-2020 interim, click on the Meeting Minutes tab on the home page. To view legislative proposals from the meetings, click on the Legislation tab on the home page.
Study Summary -- December 2020
Committee Bills for the 2021 Legislature from the HJ 31 Study
- LC 450 - Revise the staffing and structure of the MBCC
- LC 451 - Revise the duties of the board to remove a requirement for the board to hear appeals of POST Council decisions
- LC 452 - Revise the membership of the board
Legislative Services Staff Reports
- Fact Sheet: MBCC -- September 2019
- Legal memo: MBCC allocation, structure, staffing, and/or authority -- September 2019
- Summary of legislative hearings related to MBCC transfer -- November 2019
- Attempts to Shift the Allocation of the MBCC Prior to 2017 -- January 2020
Other Materials
- Memo: Authority of the MBCC -- Department of Corrections, November 2018
- Maximizing Federal Criminal Justice Funding -- National Conference of State Legislatures, May 2019
- Information on State Administering Agencies -- National Criminal Justice Association
- Cornerstone for Justice: How Montana Uses Byrne JAG Funding -- National Criminal Justice Association, 2016
- Presentation materials from September 2019 LJIC meeting -- Board staff
- VOCA federal awards and distributions, November 2019 -- Board staff
- Charts of Board budget, November 2019 -- Legislative Fiscal Division
- MBCC Grant Regions and VOCA Distributions by Geographic Location -- Board staff, January 2020
- Explanation of Department of Corrections Restorative Justice/Victims Program -- Board staff, January 2020
- Testimony from Kelly Heaton -- May 2020
- Testimony from Shantelle Gaynor -- May 2020
