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Montana Lawmakers Already Looking Ahead to 2011, Public Can Too

The next session of the Montana Legislature may be a year away, but lawmakers are already beginning to think about what issues they want to chew on. The public can find out what’s likely to be on the 2011 menu using an online database known as LAWS.

The 2011 LAWS Web site is now available at http://www.leg.mt.gov/laws.htm. LAWS is an acronym for Legislative Automated Workflow System. The site tracks each bill from the time a legislator decides to propose a new law until its final disposition during session. The free online service is maintained by the Legislative Services Division.

At this point, only "holdover" senators who are not running for election this year may ask staff of the Legislative Services Division to begin drafting bills for them to introduce in 2011. After the March 15 filing deadline for the primary election and after the June 8 primary, legislators who are running unopposed will also be able to request bill drafts.

Half of the 50 Senate seats and all 100 House seats are up for grabs this year, so most legislators won’t be able to request bill drafts until after the Nov. 2 general election.

Still, more than 40 bill draft requests already have been submitted. They cover a wide range of topics, including abolishing the death penalty and prohibiting physician-assisted suicide.

To find out what issues are on legislators’ minds, visit http://www.leg.mt.gov/laws.htm and click on "Look Up Bill Information." Then scroll to the bottom of the page to click on "List All Introduced and Unintroduced Bills." The site is automatically updated as new bill draft requests come in.

In addition to providing the text and status of bills, the LAWS Web site offers a smorgasbord of other information during legislative sessions. You can use it to learn who voted how and find schedules and agendas of committee hearings and floor sessions.

The Legislative Services Division will offer free training next fall in Helena on how to use LAWS. To get notification of the training schedule when it’s available, send an e-mail request to [email protected].

For more information, contact the Legislative Information Office at 406-444-2957.

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