Montana State Legislature

About the Law and Justice Interim Committee

The Law and Justice Interim Committee (LJIC) is a 12-member bipartisan interim committee tasked by law to monitor the activities of the Department of Justice, the Department of Corrections, and the Office of State Public Defender. The LJIC also serves as the liaison to the Judicial Branch.

Committee Members

REPRESENTATIVE
LAURIE BISHOP (D)

SENATOR
JOHN ESP (R)

REPRESENTATIVE
SHERRY ESSMANN (R)

SENATOR
JEN GROSS (D)

REPRESENTATIVE
DONAVON HAWK (D)

REPRESENTATIVE
EMMA KERR-CARPENTER (D)

SENATOR
RYAN LYNCH (D)

SENATOR
TOM MCGILLVRAY (R)

REPRESENTATIVE
AMY REGIER (R)

SENATOR
KEITH REGIER (R)

REPRESENTATIVE
BARRY USHER (R)

SENATOR
SUSAN WEBBER (D)

August 29, 2022: Agenda - Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio / Video

June 27, 2022: Agenda- Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio/ Video

May 10, 2022: Agenda- Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio/ Video

May 9, 2022: Agenda- Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio/ Video

March 22, 2022: Agenda- Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio / Video

March 21, 2022: Agenda- Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio / Video

January 19, 2022:  Agenda - Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio/ Video

October 29, 2021:  Agenda - Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio/ Video

October 28, 2021:  Agenda -  Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio/ Video

September 14, 2021: Agenda - Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio/Video

June 29, 2021:  Agenda - Summary Minutes - Meeting Audio/Video

Interim Studies

The Legislative Council assigned 6 studies to the LJIC for the 2021-2022 interim are available. Committee options and decisions on how to perform each study are in the  adopted Work Plan and and Decision Matrix. More information about each study is available on the study pages linked below.

• 2021-2022 Interim Study Poll Results
   
• SB 303: Study of inmate telecommunications contracts and costs
• SJ 26: Study women's prison
• HJ 4: Study criminal proceedings and commitment of people with mental illness
• HJ 29: Study of victim services and funding in Montana
• HJ 31: Study of criminal justice system data in Montana
• HJ 40: Judicial standards commission study and audit request

Committee Topics and Emerging Issues

• Updates on Past LJIC Legislation
  • SB 39 -- view September 2021 meeting for update
    • Packet of administrative rules -- March 2022
  • HB 91 -- view September 2021 meeting for update
  • HB 92
    • Staff memo: Update on HB 92 -- January 2022
    • Exoneration costs--Montana, April 2022 -- Montana Innocence Project
    • Exoneration costs, Montana, May 2020 -- National Innocence Project
• Updates on Criminal Justice Oversight Council
  • January 2022 staff memo
  • March 2022 staff memo
    • CJOC work matrix

Administrative Rule Review

Agency Oversight

• Department of Justice
• Public Safety Officers Standards and Training Council (POST)
• Department of Corrections
• Board of Crime Control
• Board of Pardons and Parole
• Office of State Public Defender

Liaison to Judicial Branch

Required Reports

As the LJIC develops legislation, it will be posted here.

Law and Justice Interim Committee Bills, 2019-2020 Interim

• Rules, Procedures, and Guidelines for Interim Committees, May 2021 -- Legislative Council
  • LJIC amendment to rules relating to review of ballot issue measures, September 2021
• LJIC Work Plan, adopted September 2021
  • Matrix
• Meeting Chart, version 1.0 -- September 2021
• Meeting Chart, version 2.0 -- October 2021
• Meeting Chart, version 3.0 -- January 2022
• Meeting Chart, version 4.0 -- March 2022
• Meeting chart, version 5.0 -- May 2022
• Acronym Guide for the LJIC
• Past Presiding Officers of the LJIC
• Summary of 2021 Enacted Legislation Related to LJIC Topics -- June 2021