The agency has insisted on keeping some “fees and costs” information in the agreement from the public — because, Knudsen spokesperson Kyler Nerison wrote in an email exchange, those details “may reflect case strategy.” However, the visible part of the agreement, dated to last June, notes that the firm planned to bill the state for $500,000 to retain its services.

Montanans of different persuasions can certainly disagree about whether the TikTok ban and other bills coming out of the Legislature are good or bad public policy. It’s inarguable, though, that there’s a real cost involved in enacting controversial laws, whatever their merit. As Knudsen works to defend the Legislature’s agenda, his decisions about how to allocate his office’s resources — which, ultimately, are funded by your tax dollars — are worth noting.