Law and Justice Interim Committee

Law and Justice Interim Committee Checks Off Another Interim

Committee: Law and Justice Interim Committee
Author: Rachel Weiss
Posted on October 29, 2018


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The Law and Justice Interim Committee voted to forward three bills to the 2019 Legislature and approved a final report for its study of solitary confinement at its final meeting of the 2017-2018 interim.

The three LJIC bills that will be considered by the 2019 Legislature are:

  • LClj01 (now LC 93) that clarifies interim oversight of the Office of State Public Defender;
  • LClj02 (now LC 360) that revises appointment of the Board of Pardons and Parole; and
  • LClj04 (now LC 361) that eliminates or revises MCA references to Article II, section 36, of the Montana Constitution (Marsy’s Law)

The LJIC discussed a fourth bill, but ultimately declined to send it to the Legislature. That draft bill, LClj03, would have established a state policy and restrictions related to solitary confinement in state prisons. The committee considered the draft as part of its Senate Joint Resolution 25 study of solitary confinement in Montana. The committee did approve the draft of a final study report, which will be available online in late September or early October.

During the September meeting, the LJIC also listened to a panel of attorneys speak about the effects of changes the 2017 Legislature made to Montana’s sexual assault statutes, including the creation of a strangulation crime. In addition, the LJIC heard updates from the presiding officer of the Board of Pardons and Parole and staff from the Department of Justice, the Department of Corrections, and the Office of State Public Defender.

The three bills sent to the 2019 Legislature can be tracked online using the LC#s at the Legislature’s LAWS website: http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/law0203w$.startup

The Law and Justice Interim Committee will not meet again until after the 2019 session concludes in the late spring of 2019.

For more information about the committee and its interim work, please visit the committee’s website or contact committee staff.

Committee website: https://leg.mt.gov/ljic
Committee staff: Rachel Weiss, 406-444-5367, rweiss@mt.gov