Montana State Legislature

Montana ranks among the top handful of states in the nation for the openness of its government. In fact, the rights of Montanans to participate in and know about the activities of their government were guaranteed in the 1972 Montana Constitution:

Right of Participation (Article II, Section 8): The public has the right to expect governmental agencies to afford such reasonable opportunity for citizen participation in the operation of agencies prior to the final decision as may be provided by law.

Right to Know (Article II, Section 9): No person shall be deprived of the right to examine documents or to observe the deliberations of all public bodies or agencies of state government and its subdivisions, except in cases in which the demand of individual privacy clearly exceeds the merits of public disclosure.

Members of the 1972 Constitutional Convention also specifically extended the right of participation to legislative meetings:

Article V, Section 10 (3): The sessions of the legislature and of the committee of the whole, all committee meetings, and all hearings shall be open to the public.

Montana legislators have implemented these constitutional provisions through a series of statutes incorporated over the years into the Montana Code Annotated (MCA). These include:

• Open Meetings Act (Title 2, chapter 3, part 2, MCA)
• Public Records Act (Title 2, chapter 6, MCA)
• Public Participation Act (Title 2, chapter 3, MCA)

In 1999, in response to a lawsuit by Montana media, the Legislature opened its political caucuses to the public.

So, as a representative of the public, you have access to public documents and proceedings as afforded by these constitutional, statutory, and administrative protections.

member of the Press looking to report on the Legislative Session 

To request floor privileges, you will need to register with the Legislative Financial Office:

1. fill out the one-page form
2. provide a letter of introduction on official letterhead from your sponsoring news outlet with yours and your supervisor’s contact information

You must submit these 2 items via email to legfinservices@legmt.gov, for approval. Once approved, the form will be sent to the General Services Division (GSD) at the Department of Administration. 

The entire approval process could take a week or so. Someone from the state will reach out to the provided contact info with updates.

You will then head to 1310 East Lockey (Old Livestock Building) to have your photo taken and badge created.  Media badges (and replacement badges) costs $10 each.  GSD’s phone number is 406-444-3060.

You must wear your ID badge in the Capitol at all times during legislative sessions. You will need to renew your ID badge before each session.

When you sign the media badge application, you are acknowledging that you have read and understand the State of Montana Legislative Branch Media Rules, Media Rules of Decorum and will abide by them. Deviation or inappropriate behaviors can result in the forfeiture of your media badge and the loss of chamber access privileges.

Parking can be difficult to find near the Capitol during legislative session. Designated parking areas are posted for use only by legislators, and many of the surrounding neighborhood streets are posted for parking only by residents.

If your news agency is planning a large telecast that will involve satellite trucks, please notify the General Services Division in advance by calling 406-444-3060 to request permission and assistance to find an appropriate parking space for the truck.

All camera bags, tripods, and other media equipment must have the user's business card/contact information attached to them.

Any items brought on to the chamber floors and committee rooms are subject to inspection from the Sergeant at Arms.

On the Floor

Joint Rules 10-50, Access of Media – registration – decorum – sanctions - Rules of Montana Legislature

1. Subject to the presiding officer(s) discretion on issues of decorum and order, a registered media representative may not be prohibited from photographing, televising, or recording a legislative meeting or hearing.
2. The presiding officer shall authorize the issuance of cards to media representatives to allow floor access, and media representatives holding the cards are subject to placement on the floor by the presiding officer. The presiding officer may delegate enforcement of this rule to the office of the Secretary of the Senate, Chief Clerk of the House, the respective Sergeant at Arms, or the Legislative Information Officer. The privilege may be revoked or suspended for a violation of decorum and order as agreed to by the media representative upon application for registration.
3. Registered media representatives may be subject to seating in designated areas. Overflow access will be in the gallery.

In Committee Rooms

• In any committee meeting, the use of cameras, television, radio, or any form of telecommunication equipment is allowed, but the chair may designate the areas of the hearing room from which the equipment must be operated. Cell phone use is at the discretion of the chair (Senate Rule 30-80, House Rule 30-60). 

Other rules you must follow:

• Only a member may sit in a member's chair when the House is in session (See House Rule 20-40).
• A paper concerning proposed legislation may not be placed on representatives' desks unless it is authorized by a member and permission has been granted by the Speaker. The Sergeant-at-Arms shall direct its distribution (See House Rule 20-70).
• Material may not be distributed on the Senators' desks in the chamber unless the material bears the signature of the bearer and a Senator and has been approved by the President (See Senate Rule 20-70).

It is considered a breach of decorum to:

• Approach or address a legislator at his or her chamber desk during floor session.
• Approach or address a legislator in a committee room session.
• Move about the center aisle of either chamber during floor session.
• Bring food or drink (other than water) onto the chamber floors or into committee rooms.
• During the daily devotional period and the Pledge of Allegiance, members of the media who are on the house or senate floor during this time shall refrain from having conversations or otherwise be disturbing. If you are not comfortable participating in these, you may wish to consider waiting to enter the chambers until they are concluded.
• Members of the media shall ensure their cell phone is set to silent while in either chamber floor or gallery and leave the floor or gallery to answer a call.

If you have any questions about appropriate behavior on the floor of the House or Senate or in a Committee Room, please feel free to contact one of the Sergeants at Arms.

In each chamber, areas are set aside for use by working representatives of the media.

In the Senate chamber, there are two areas with audio feeds for the media. In the front of the upper gallery (the southwest front corner), there is an area with a bench for seating, and audio feeds for equipment. On the south side of the Senate floor by the cloakroom, there are additional audio feeds for TV media that allow same-level camera angles.

If you use a tripod on the floor, please be considerate of legislators who are seated along this side. Do not block the aisle or infringe upon their desk space in any way. You may also set up camera tripods in the gallery areas at the handicap rails (if they are not in use) or at the area of the gallery that is reserved for media.

In the House chamber, you may set up tripods on the east side of the chamber along the windows by the fire tower exit. Do not block the fire tower stair exit with tripods or other equipment, chairs, or bags, as this could hinder evacuation in the event of a fire or other emergency.

Media can access the state public wireless network. If you need assistance with Capitol wireless access, call the Customer Service Center at the Information Technology Services Division of the Department of Administration at 406-444-2000.

Individuals conducting business on the Chamber floors should dress in professional business attire.

House Resolution No. 5

• (a) "Professional business attire" means: 
  • (i) for men, dressed in a suit, or dress slacks, jacket, and tie, and appropriate dress shoes or dress boots (sandals, flip flops, and tennis shoes are not considered appropriate); and 
  • (ii) for women, dressed in a suit, or dress slacks, skirt, jacket, and dress blouse or suit-like dress, and appropriate dress shoes or dress boots (sandals, flip flops, and tennis shoes are not considered appropriate). 
• (b) The term does not include jeans or denim material clothing, including colored denim material, fleece material, or jersey or sweatshirt material. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that:

• (1) House leadership is ultimately responsible for ensuring members are dressed in professional business attire; and
• (2) the House Sergeant-at-Arms shall enforce the dress decorum policy set forth in this resolution and will notify members of any breach in dress decorum and is authorized to bar members who have breached dress decorum from physically or electronically entering the House chambers or House committee rooms until the member complies. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that legislative staff, members of the media, interns, aides, and pages shall abide by the dress decorum policy set forth in this resolution.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that there are no casual Fridays or Saturdays.

Senate

In accordance with Senate Rule S20-10 Questions of order – appeal, the responsibility for order and decorum within the chamber lies with the presiding officers of the Senate.

The “Capitol Emergency Action Plan” is the policy document that agencies within the Capitol follow to provide for the safety of all employees and visitors, including media representatives, during any incident, emergency, or disaster.

In the event of an incident, designated and trained staff wearing bright orange vests will help to evacuate the building. All visitors should exit the building and assemble outside the Capitol as directed.

The identified assembly point is on the northeast corner of the Capitol lawn across from the Montana Historical Society. However, on rare occasions, if that corner is deemed unsafe, you may be directed elsewhere by emergency action team members, local emergency responders, or staff of the General Services Division.

While the journalistic impulse to cover an emergency is understandable, please be sure to check in first with the Legislative Branch Emergency Coordinator Lenore Adams or someone in an orange vest in the assembly area to let us know you are not still in the building.

Once you have checked in, you may be able to coordinate with the GSD public information officer, who is responsible, in conjunction with local and state agencies, for managing information requests specific to the Capitol complex.

No weapons, alcohol, or smoking are allowed in the Capitol or any other state building.

Floor sessions are one time when you can easily find legislators during their busy days, because they are expected to attend all of them. If you wish to interview a legislator, you may be able to arrange to do so before, after, or during a break in the floor session. A Sergeant at Arms may take a request to a legislator during the floor session.

You can also find legislators in their offices and in Capitol hallways during breaks and between meetings. Just remember that breaks are also intended to allow legislators time to use restrooms; get food or drink; meet with staff, colleagues, constituents, and lobbyists; or fulfill other duties and responsibilities, so lawmakers may be short on time.

Mail. Although legislators have individual post office boxes on the first floor of the Capitol, these are for use by U.S. Postal Service staff only. You may not ask postal workers to put messages or other materials into legislator post office boxes. Legislator home and e-mail addresses are available on the legislative website at www.leg.mt.gov, in published legislative guides.

E-mail. Although most legislators have e-mail addresses that you may use to contact them, some do not. Keep in mind that lawmakers get large volumes of e-mail and have no staff to manage it. Response times may vary.

Legislative Information Desk. During legislative sessions, the Legislative Services Division staffs an information desk in the central lobby of the first floor of the Capitol. These staff members are primarily responsible for taking messages from the public via phone and e-mail and delivering them to legislators. You may leave messages for legislators with them.

Pages and Sergeants at Arms. You may ask legislative pages or the Sergeants at Arms to deliver messages to legislators.

The Montana Legislature meets in regular session for only about 4 months every 2 years. But legislators conduct a great deal of newsworthy public business during the interims between sessions. This work often results in bills that are introduced during the next regular session.

After each regular session, the Speaker of the House and the Senate Committee on Committees appoint legislators to about a dozen bipartisan interim committees to conduct in-depth studies of policy issues of particular interest. During session, legislators pass bills to authorize some of these interim studies and resolutions to request others. Some interim committees, as part of their duties to monitor state agencies, elect to study policy issues not formally assigned to them by bill or resolution.

All interim committee meetings are open to the public and include opportunities for public comment. Meeting schedules and agendas are e-mailed regularly to media and posted each week on the home page of the legislative website at https://leg.mt.gov/  Most meetings are held in the Capitol hearing rooms. Most are also audio-streamed over the legislative website, providing an opportunity to listen to the entire proceedings live.

Staff

Legislative Information Desk: The information desk operates during sessions only as part of the Communications Office.  This desk is located in the northwest corner of the lobby on the first floor of the Capitol, 406-444-4800. You can pick up daily floor and committee schedules, legislative guides, and maps of the Capitol here.

Offices of the Sergeants at Arms:

Ray Todd, Sergeant at Arms for the Senate
ray.todd@legmt.gov
406-444-4890
Room 375

Brad Murfitt, Sergeant at Arms for the House, is located in
bmurfitt@legmt.gov
406-444-4200
Room 470

Websites

Legislative website: leg.mt.gov If you want help finding information online, contact the Legislative Office of Information Services, 406-444-0912.

LAWS (Legislative Automated Workflow System): https://leg.mt.gov/bill-info/ is a free, interactive, online service that can help you find official information about current and past sessions, including bill text and status, votes, and committee agendas and schedules.

National Conference of State Legislatures: ncsl.org  A bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and legislative staffs of the nation’s 50 states and its commonwealths and territories. NCSL provides research, technical assistance, and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on pressing state issues.

Council of State Governments: csg.org  A bipartisan organization formed in 1933 to help state government staff and officials with leadership training, research and information products, and regional problem-solving activities.

Stateline.org  Funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts as a public service, this website, staffed entirely by professional journalists, was originally envisioned primarily as a resource for reporters who cover state government. Articles on the site focus on state policy innovations and trends. In addition to online news, the Washington, D.C., based organization periodically publishes free printed reference materials and sponsors professional development conferences and workshops for the news media.

Publications

Montana Legislative Guide: Guide to Montana’s Legislative Assembly: This handy little guide, published at the start of every session, includes photos, personal information, and contact information for all legislators. It also includes committee assignments, seating charts, and staff and leadership information. Published by the Montana Electric Cooperatives’ Association and Montana Telecommunications Association. Available free from the Session Information Desk while supplies last or by emailing meca@mtco-ops.com. A mobile app is also available for the 2021 session at this website: https://www.montanaco-ops.com/

Lawmakers of Montana (the Copper Book): Another handy reference that includes photos of and more extensive biographical information about all legislators. Available from the Bill Distribution Office in room 74 of the Capitol or call 406-444-0627.

Lobbyist Directory: Published by the Montana Society of Association Executives. Available by calling MSAE, Webb Scott Brown 406-431-9508.

Montana State Government Telephone Directory: is available online at https://directory.mt.gov/govt/state-dir/agency

Montana Code Annotated: The official version of all state laws currently in effect. Bound copies are available for purchase in the Legislative Services Division Office in Room 110 of the Capitol, online at https://leg.mt.gov/statute/mca-publications/ for the online store, the order form, or free PDFs of most of our publications can be found online. For any publications questions, please call Publications Officer Molly Petersen at 406-444-2957 or email LegPubSales@mt.gov.  Bound copies are available for review in the Legislative Reference Center in room 10 east basement of the Capitol and at the State Law Library, 215 North Sanders, 406-444-3660.

Rules of the Montana Legislature: The House, Senate and joint rules are adopted and published in the early days of each session. Copies are available at no charge to journalists from the Bills Distribution Office in Room 74 in the basement of the Capitol or call 406-444-0627.

Understanding State Finances and the Budgeting Process: A reference manual for legislators produced by and available from the Legislative Fiscal Division, Room 110 of the Capitol.