Updated Web site offers expanded session information

New enhancements to the state’s legislative Web site will now make it even easier for people to find information about Montana’s lawmakers and their actions online.

By ALLISON FARRELL, IR State Bureau

The new, printer-friendly versions of the online pages make it easy for anyone with a computer, printer and Internet access to get their hands on all the bills and schedule information for the 2003 Legislature.

"It’s at your fingertips, up-to-date information on legislative happenings," said Lois Menzies, executive director of the Legislative Services Division.

The system was launched in 1999 and provides information and links to the text of bills and drafts, daily agendas, committee schedules, legislators and other information. Additions to the Web site this year include easier to use links, prompts that prevent users from deleting lists of information they’ve compiled and updated online help.

All you need to get started is a computer with an Internet connection complete with Web browser and Adobe PDF reader, both of which are available for free online. If you don’t have a computer, most public libraries offer them.

Go to http://www.leg.state.mt.us and from there, you can access any information you need about the session convening today. Menzies recommends exploring the site. You can search a bill several ways, including by its number, by its sponsor, by its type or by its subject.

The advanced bill search allows you to search a bill or draft by the person who requested the bill, by its drafter or by its subject description.

If you want to find all the bills the legislators from your district are sponsoring, you can search under their names. You can also search bills by topic, which means, for example, you could find all the bills on alcohol and drugs drafted for this session.

Site users can also create preference lists, which allow them to track many bills simultaneously. Once you’ve created a bill or draft list, you can click on a link every time you’re on the Internet to generate a report listing the most recent status of the legislation. This service is free in Montana, while other states charge as much as $1,000 to generate preference lists.

http://helenair.com/articles/2003/01/06/montana/a06010603_02.txt