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Deveiopment of eiintiv ; | agencies in Montana | | | 3 5 . \ ee a pg Nta E é clin Cy es DEVELOPMENT OF LEGISLATIVE AGENCIES IN MONTANA _ by Robert B. Person Montana Legislative Services Division December 2000 | ore hre eaLypAA |P i~S tCwSsedii SoLua1 y whak‘ aJ i /ftow. 9:e ¢td e48 n m tAAa. ry hee ee DEVELOPMENT OF LEGISLATIVE AGENCIES IN MONTANA by Robert B. Person Montana Legislative Services Division December 2000 (OS nated ty ed :. - eee Pena : , - 4) ‘ 7 : . a 7" ; » e4 . qetiy tS & x vs rs @ Le, w=r ¢ a x } Fy b €, , ¥ yi wf * |r l CL » er a hal=ae , 9 aie t f ‘i : iis : / . <a _ Py4 . : x ol ek P a aa ‘eo: : r f gan ae he sd ae teen .) ”; , : A a- "ay"4 ee Development of Legislative Agencies in Montana By Robert B. Person Montana Legislative Services Division December 2000' Introduction Montana's Legislative Branch has been organized and reorganized a number of times over the years and now functions as a consolidated agency. The Legislative Branch, i.e., the consolidated legislative agency, provides the administrative structure to support accomplishment of the mission of the Legislature and the other entities included in the consolidated agency. The Legislature exercises the legislative power of state government vested in it by The Constitution of the State of Montana The principal entities of the consolidated Legislature are the Senate and the House of Representatives (which together compose the Legislature), the Legislative Services Division, the Legislative Fiscal Division, and the Legislative Audit Division. The Senate consists of 50 members representing single-member districts composed of two representative districts. Senators are elected for 4-year terms with half the members elected every 2 years. The Senate serves as an equal partner with the House of Representatives in the consideration of most matters related to the exercise of the legislative power of the state. The unique functions of the Senate include confirming gubernatorial appointments and conducting trials of impeachment. The House of Representatives consists of 100 members representing single-member districts. Representatives are elected to 2-year terms. The House of Representatives serves as an equal partner with the Senate in the consideration of most matters related to the exercise of the legislative power of the state. The unique functions of the House of Representatives include the introduction of appropriations measures into the process and the bringing of impeachment. The Legislative Services Division provides research, reference, legal, technical, information technology, and administrative support services to the House, Senate, and other divisions of the Legislative Branch in support of effective and efficient operation of the Legislative Branch and supports the mission of the Legislative Council. Original prepared July 1988. Revisions: January 1989, June 1991, September 1993, September 1994, July 1995, July 1996, and December 2000. “5 i Boek tP o 3.50 Re hsa gen bebe saline bt op doneudl ovine aia 9i v vano3e Hetehtinare a: sONqvA OF Sasi sie ay dts Ue att 8 he aid) eatin, 2 ady vt bobironi wether teeto-ott) bine oxeiaiamee arid “i vinssnaal asarArys vo" asin to pla Do avrteles iol o:A y RSS sig) hdtgend eT J te Re ver, at aanold Ti a foilst e roan 4 sd AA4 yyy » sone Sar bos Sin pectin ckee s ray stain: I bis Faseget udeu it Ag .o2 ovitelefiged oil? (ourtalaige] aetieandimun voctieges doistw) 6 ret Ju. wh syidnlerasd ois Was hotta ividl tonal oy © Pa age, . +ty bsdoundins piorideih sed misin(-planis ppaeniges sec saet By ae lec eda’ on dares arte? «way el Dadbele 64s: o2 tal ovitn 9 id Seal) ai co ; ee pTT e Le es Bere as rhea pi® of? : fy sarreiee alt of betater sre aon t Os oil aoe um iftade sbulvas stated ot amon th OEPL ET §o f? oteta,o nd ule See Ve Bt os bette gaitonbac. herr ate fetréernr—<alegrt be ; ergo’ sted many Oe | Aeravaranus avy ite doyies Benito: Sas t0 Saver oil pares i)Y eo ot betoale ort os holeiat-ye sane Hoot te ae i eal aid ai any sae to ae Jt Thedonoran Supiy ant. 4a $a orld Yo 970g 0 hisa sf8900%4 9G) ods Britain eri ‘iors 30 £1 sna a | amt | teotercad fa al sombrsters Sinsu lin ns beatae a ee piior enoivae syaqqea anharenes sarki to nchieroga aii edsu it Ata toa eccgegrne id ors e9v itA aigadd | The Legislative Fiscal Division provides the Legislature with objective fiscal information and analysis relevant to Montana public policy and budget determination. The Legislative Audit Division conducts independent audits under supervision of the Legislative Audit Committee and provides factual and objective information to the legislative and executive managers of the public trust. It is a long and interesting story how this modern legislative organization came about. Background The Montana Legislative Branch is heir to a tradition of effort to improve the function of the legislative branch of government in the United States and in our own state reaching across a century. Progress has always been slow. Before 1900, general interest in improving the legislature centered on how to restrict the legislature from its excesses. During this period, although a separate branch of government, the heart of democracy, and the arena for political, social, and economic conflict, the populace treated their legislature as a necessary evil. Beginning around 1850, reformers concerned themselves with tying legislative hands rather than developing effective legislative systems. The history of these trends became embedded in many state constitutions and traditions. More recently reformers have tried to unshackle the legislature. Staff development has been central to this effort. Since 1900, two major movements have sought to provide better information and better staffing for the legislature. These movements addressed the fundamental idea that legislatures did not have sufficient basic information available on the many complicated statewide problems that they had to face. The problem was how to provide the information. The first movement was the "Legislative Reference Bureau" movement. The second was the "Legislative Council" movement, at the outset emphasizing primarily the research function but becoming a central core for a wide variety of services in many states. The Reference Bureau movement emphasized bill drafting services and reference services to individual legislators. The Council movement emphasized research together with centrally ‘established committees and service to the institution. Over the years, the distinctions have blurred as new roles and agencies have been devised. Montana's legislative agency developed directly from the influence of these movements and developments in other states. The Legislative Council came first, and then haltingly the legislature added the post-audit and fiscal analysis functions with Legislative Council fee’ ~iieieiines ina diasiail ashivorg ssn oLbe ol ffM ortanits7e)9 htyo gbud behe i —_ oneal ot taavele roo sly to vajagvzer we tobau ks: ‘rabrnsg Shri atassh nos male oi od rigtamnetad evidostee: freee Ietrtont eobivorg bn6 reared otldug oft To wren ca vs qu08Ks had ch) duced eftun nostiwiaerd evetsiangel srohedd andt vod) to sotocey obfenseeaee OF T9164: nor) hand 9 Od chef wi done etl wibalaiied runes: WRI 1699 ‘BIS Fe aw Stew Baa ostete betta adh ief Vera t9 ron to pan re ie Teas lagrray GOEL oratef, wold ager myarwin ¢ an yagrgord wtiha9 Ae = igo hb onortens) sietee! ctly tobieer OF wed sto 6 neta» enrtabetyst oft a oni UH. no 10 Hino of tcaetrrveg fouled state ges guodiia biviteny niskt nt 7 Honlaedal zaghy Robes? won lay 1 odie aictocese bas Leman neritic es ures tit wowloertorl) harvey tree OORT bawou prs tha sennen a Wi obeich aikT tote sal avitoahe griqafovel cediwsiivien ebesad ohs inigh wot snvll .qnotibe t dcovudivanoo otale Yasar MH« heii dara dine a) oe of too taee 14d sap Jnmeniesic int! sivielateo! edd sfdoad wir adh fa od onfet . 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The constitutional convention later incorporated a Legislative Council - recommendation for a Consumer Counsel, which was implemented in the legislative branch. Separately, the Environmental Quality Council was born. In the 1980' and 1990's development of permanent committees of limited jurisdiction with staff support provided by the permanent agencies grew into a strong trend. That trend came to an end, perhaps, in 1999. Chronology of Legislative Branch Development since 1953 I gleaned the following chronology from newspaper accounts and agency records. In 1953, the Commission on Reorganization of State Government, appointed to consider the question of reorganization of state government generally, included recommendations for improvement of the Legislature in its report. The Commission recognized a need for a strong and independent Legislature; a need more critical because of increased governmental activity experienced since the end of the war. They saw an interim organization of the Legislature, which did not exist at the time, as a pressing need. The Commission took note of the Legislative Council movement across the nation and recommended that a Legislative Council be established in Montana. A bill was introduced to implement the recommendation. It proposed that the Legislative Council created by the bill: - study and review the entire organization and structure of state government . ... to promote efficiency; and ° review and analyze the various activities and functions. . . consolidation, reorganization, and abolishment .. . of agencies of government. To accomplish these goals, the Legislative Council was to: : examine organization of government; : examine the current condition of all state funds and appropriations; . receive messages and reports from the Governor and other state officials; ° compel the attendance of witnesses; and peiialatgl onr thb y OER! hive ‘OBERT: oi l? al mod | we fiiageo!)G lew Ladirrorn jobivers: srogques Hate (itirw.p oblovbeinyy vedimil to comma aypertieg ;bae ae ot ema lms nt? whasst yiromda £ ahi we na . 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