Group to Consider Clarifying Who Pays Detainee Medical Costs
A group of lawmakers hopes to decide at a meeting Aug. 28 whether to move forward with a bill that would clarify who must pay medical costs incurred by people who are injured while detained by or in the custody of local law enforcement officers.
The group, a subcommittee of the Legislature's Law and Justice Interim Committee, will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 137 of the State Capitol in Helena.
The public is invited to attend the meeting and comment on the proposed bill, LC1111. A draft copy of the bill and a meeting agenda are available on the legislative Web site at www.leg.mt.gov/ljic under "Meeting Schedule and Materials."
Under the proposed bill, detainees would be responsible for paying hospital or physician costs associated with injuries they sustain during interaction with law enforcement officers if the injuries are not the result of negligence or an intentionally wrongful act on the part of the officers. Detainees also would be responsible for any additional security costs incurred by a medical treatment provider.
If a hospital or physician were unable to collect payment from a detainee, the county or community where the law enforcement officers served would be responsible.
The subcommittee is chaired by Sen. Jesse Laslovich, D-Anaconda. Other members are Sen. Dan McGee, R-Laurel, and Reps. Ron Stoker, R-Darby; Bob Ebinger, D-Livingston; and Edward Hilbert, R-Glendive.
For more information, contact Valencia Lane, subcommittee legal staff, at 444-3064 or vlane@mt.gov.
