Montana
New Montana legislative website has problems, Legislative Services working on fixes • Daily Montanan
The Montana Legislature used to have the best legislative website in the country for tracking bills — that’s what Sen. Andrea Olsen was told roughly eight years ago.
This year, a new system launched, complete with new bugs.
The chief information officer for the Legislative Services Division said Wednesday a technology team is delivering code on a daily basis to fix the problems, and the goal is to have a top-notch system once again.
In the meantime, however, legislators, lobbyists and members of the public are running into roadblocks in trying to follow the work of the 69th Montana Legislature.
“Unfortunately, it truly is a disaster to start the session without efficient capacity to track bills,” Olsen said. “This is for us as legislators, but particularly for the public.”
Olsen, a lawyer, said the lack of transparency also runs contrary to protections in the Montana Constitution.
“We have a constitutional right to know, and a constitutional right to participate, and those two things are infringed when we have a system that is so difficult, and when there’s so many bugs to still work out,” Olsen said.
Jerry Howe, executive director of Legislative Services Division, and Dale Gow, chief information officer, said Wednesday the old system was a workhorse, but nonetheless, on its last legs.
Howe said he feared it wouldn’t make it through 2025, and the Legislative Services Division decided to create a new one in house. He said the goal is to have a website that works better than the old one, and the team is making progress.
“We understand that there is some frustration,” Howe said. “Be patient with us as we build this system from scratch. We think that people will be pleased with it as it unfolds and as it reaches its maturity.”
Problems, some solutions
Charles Denowh, with the Montana Group, has worked legislative sessions since 2003, and he said the old system was “very functional.” However, he said it was also dated, and the user interface was rudimentary.
“I understand why they decided it was time for an upgrade,” Denowh said.
He said Legislative Services couldn’t fully test the new system until the session started, and launching now means having to “fix it on the fly.”
“I feel bad for those guys,” Denowh said of the workers. “I know a lot of people are pretty angry at them. They’re fixing it as fast as they can, and I’ve been pretty impressed at how dedicated they’ve been to getting things right.”
He said he’s figured out some workarounds, but some features are still missing.
At least midday Wednesday, the third day of the session, he still hadn’t seen committee assignments listed on legislator pages. He’d also seen cancelled hearings still show up as taking place in a data export feature.
“That’s probably been the biggest difficulty I’ve seen is getting an accurate committee hearing schedule,” said Denowh, a lobbyist.
In the Senate, a political power struggle is taking place, and committee meetings have stalled. The stalling ended up demonstrating new shortfalls in the system too, Howe said.
“When they cancelled hearings in bulk, it created issues we had not foreseen or contemplated in the past,” Howe said.
On the other hand, he said it means developers can address it and create a more robust site.
“I’m not sure the old system would have accommodated the cancellations,” Howe said.
Time for an update
Howe said the redo didn’t come out of some desire to improve the system, it came out of necessity.
“We got through last session, but it took a lot of effort and work to hold that thing together,” he said.
A major upgrade was needed, and Gow said they decided to bring the project in house with a new suite of applications and the goal of “all the functionality that everybody has been using the past 30 years.”
They couldn’t dig into it right after the 2023 session because staff still have work to do afterwards, he said. They get funding to start their projects in July, but he said money wasn’t the issue, and time was.
“This was replacing 30-year-old technology within 10 months to get to baseline for the session,” Gow said.
A security application that was part of the project had some issues too, and that took nearly two months to sort out, Gow said. But he said the new applications are more secure.
“They used to be wide open,” he said.
In the past, he said, they relied on someone in Ireland to help fix system problems, and they decided to do the baseline work in their own shop in order to support the system themselves.
“Now we’re able to do all of these enhancements and bug fixes in house, and we’re able to turn those around very quickly,” Gow said.
People are calling to report problems, and since Monday, the number of tickets related to the new website was 51 as of Wednesday, Howe said. That’s out of 202 total tickets for all tech issues, such as a legislator needing help with a printer.
Gow said eight developers and six analysts are working to address problems, in addition to their other duties.
A timeline for when the new system could be considered largely complete wasn’t set.
“It does take time to develop software in that way, and we’re confident that in time, this new system will be able to accomplish all the needs the public has with respect to bill status and transparency of the legislative process,” Howe said.
Moving forward
Matt Leow, with Tenacious Campaigns, said the old system was not just functional, it was familiar. The lobbyist said the new system is making Capitol veterans like him, around for 20 years, feeling like it’s the first day of school.
“What people are doing to try to address the problem is they’re buying the subscription services, which is great if you’re a well-paid lobbyist, not so great if you’re a member of the public who wants to stay informed and get involved in the process,” Leow said.
Years ago, Olsen said she attended the National Conference of State Legislators, and software sales people trying to sell bill tracking programs wouldn’t try to sell to her when they learned she was from Montana.
“They looked at me and said, ‘Oh, well you already have the best system in the country,’” Olsen said.
So she said she appreciates the goal with the new system is to emulate the old one, although the clock is ticking with the lack of transparency.
“It’s a disaster for public notice purposes,” Olsen said.
Sen. John Fuller, a Kalispell Republican, said he hasn’t heard complaints from constituents, but the slowdown in the Senate is part of the bigger picture too.
“Of course, part of the problem is we haven’t done anything yet,” Fuller said. “When we start cranking stuff out, if it’s not fixed by then — I think it will be — but if we start cranking stuff out, then people have the right to get upset.”
He said no one is to blame because the project involves a lot of changes, and he knows staff are working hard on the “hiccups.”
“We’re trying to increase accessibility while maintaining cybersecurity. Duh. Those are opposing ends,” Fuller said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the number of tickets logged for problems with the website, which was unavailable at press time.
HELENA — A group of conservation advocacy organizations are suing the State of Montana to “cement the legality of corner crossing” in Montana.
On Thursday, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Public Land and Water Access Association filed a lawsuit against Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Lewis and Clark County District Court.
The legal action comes one day after Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, a Republican, addressed the Montana Environmental Quality Council about corner crossing.
(WATCH: Lt. Gov. Juras discusses corner crossing with Montana lawmakers)
Montana elected leaders discuss “corner crossing”
Corner crossing is the act of stepping from adjoining corners of public land without stepping on the adjacent private land.
While there is no state law or case law directly addressing corner crossing in Montana, FWP, under the Gianforte administration, has stated that corner crossing remains unlawful in Montana, and people should obtain permission from the adjoining landowners before crossing corners. Wardens have been instructed to use their discretion to cite individuals for trespassing if caught corner crossing.
The new lawsuit argues that FWP policy on corner crossing is “incorrect and unlawful.”
“Though not an attack on the agency overall, as both BHA and PLWA are currently defending FWP as intervenors in separate litigation, we fundamentally disagree with the Department on this issue and believe this must now be decided before a neutral court,” said Jake Schwaller, Chair of the Montana Chapter of BHA, in a press release. “There comes a time when we simply need to stand up for our public land, and this is our time.”
MTN News
The plaintiffs in the case say they had met with FWP several times about corner crossing, but believe the lawsuit is their path forward to resolving the debate.
“Montanans deserve clear, consistent guidance on how they can access their public lands,” said Alex Leone, Executive Director for PLWA, in the press release. “There is a commonsense path that respects private property while ensuring public lands aren’t effectively blocked. We’ve worked in good faith to find that solution and remain ready to do so.”
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL COMPLAINT
According to data from onX, there are around 1.5 million acres of public lands locked behind private property in the Treasure State. About 871,000 acres of public land in Montana is “corner locked.”
Much of the recent debate on corner crossing has followed developments last year in a Wyoming corner crossing case.
(WATCH: Corner Crossing in Montana explained)
Corner crossing in Montana explained
In October, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from the 10th District Court of Appeals on Iron Bar Holdings v. Cape. The case stems from a land access dispute in Wyoming. In 2022, the ranch, owned by pharmaceutical executive Fred Eshelman, sued a group of hunters who used a ladder to corner cross onto public land that was locked in by Eshelman’s property. The suit alleged that the hunters trespassed when they passed through the airspace over the private property.
A federal district judge agreed with the hunters, stating that nothing they did violated federal law. When the 10th District Court of Appeals took up the case, it ruled a property owner could not create an obstacle that would limit free passage over public lands.
Since the Supreme Court did not take the case up, the ruling effectively became case law. However, that ruling only impacts states in the 10th Circuit; Montana is in the 9th Circuit.
MTN has spoken with several lawyers, including a prosecutor, about the issue of corner crossing. They agreed to provide background as long as it was off-camera due to the clients they represent. The consensus from the lawyers was that most county attorneys don’t pursue corner crossing trespassing cases.
Juras also testified before the EQC that she was not aware of a true corner crossing trespass case that had gone to trial.
GREAT FALLS — Blowing dust is becoming a major issue again on the Hi-Line as winds gust to 60–70+ mph, especially from Phillips County eastward.
Visibility has dropped to very low to near zero at times, and there have already been several crashes east of Glasgow near Nashua and Frazer. People are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in these areas if possible.
This is a very dangerous situation for travelers across northeast Montana. Blowing dust is causing near-zero visibility in many locations.
WATCH:
Hazardous driving along the Hi-Line
Highway 2 from Dodson to Wolf Point is closed until further notice, with only emergency travel allowed in these areas.
All red- and black-shaded roads and highways are experiencing severe driving conditions because of the low visibility.
MDT
Click here to visit the MDT 511 site.
(WEDNESDAY, MAY 13) A fast-moving front rolled through north-central Montana on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. The powerful winds gusted to more than 80 miles per hour in some areas.
Shaylan Verploegen shared video from north of Havre, showing a huge “wall” of dirt and dust in a unique weather phenomenon known as a haboob; watch the video and see other viewer photos here:
Fast-moving front kicks up walls of dust
The strong winds caused some damage. There were trees blown over in Havre, Great Falls, and Helena. Part of a roof was blown off in Box Elder, and there were several carports that were destroyed in Havre. There were also numerous power outages reported across the area, some of which lasted for several hours.
Check out more photos and videos shared by KRTV viewers:
Use the form below to share your photos and/or videos with KRTV
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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 13, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 13 drawing
22-31-52-56-67, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from May 13 drawing
17-18-28-37-42, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from May 13 drawing
02-06-10-16, Bonus: 16
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from May 13 drawing
08-13-39-63-66, Powerball: 02
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from May 13 drawing
02-04-13-17-32
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 13 drawing
21-24-29-42-49, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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