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Badbills.com back for 2005 Montana Legislative session

One proposed bill coming before the 2005 Legislature would require licenses for bicyclists. Another would designate an official "state insect."

What they have in common is their designation as "bad bills" by Steve White, the Webmaster of http://www.Badbills.com.

By WALT WILLIAMS, Chronicle Staff Writer

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2004/12/01/news/badbills.txt

Badbills.com is a clearinghouse of what White considers bad legislation on its way to becoming law. The site was started before the 2003 session and turned into a big hit for White, a Bozeman native who has been asked to expand his site to cover other states.

So far he’s stuck with Montana. Now he is getting ready for 2005.

Not everyone will agree with White’s conservative viewpoint about what constitutes a "bad bill." But the site offers at least a starting point for Internet users trying to get a grasp on the hundreds of bills that will come before lawmakers when they convene in Helena.

"If I can just improve the dialogue in Montana, I think that would be pretty cool," White said Tuesday.

Already more than 1,300 bills have been proposed, or about 300 more bills than this time before the last session, White said.

Many bills will be either discarded or combined with similar legislation before they come before lawmakers. During the last session, some 2,200 bill requests were winnowed down to 1,360 bills, half of which were passed by lawmakers, according to Greg Petesch of the Legislative Services Division.

Lawmakers have until Dec. 5 to request an unlimited number of bill drafts. After that they’re limited to seven requests, five of which must be submitted before the session starts.

Badbills.com acts a roadmap during the hyperactive four months of the Legislative session. Besides the political commentary about "bad bills," White offers helpful advice about the legislative process, a guide for lobbying legislators and even road maps and parking information in and around the Capitol.

"My purpose was essentially to push people into being more involved — in a more educated way — in the legislative process," he said.

White admitted his site probably wouldn’t have been possible if it were not for the state’s own legislative site, which allows Internet users to not only read proposed bills online, but to track groups of bills based on subject. That site is located at http://leg.state.mt.us.

White links directly to the bills he criticizes. Badbills.com even looks like the legislative site, sporting the same gray background.

While Badbills.com was only occasionally updated between sessions, the site received more visits after the 2003 session than during it. White suspects Internet users were using it as a portal to other government sites.

If that’s all they use it for, then White wouldn’t be disappointed.

"I really wanted people not to lose focus on what is going on around them in government," he said.

Walt Williams is at [email protected]

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