How to Watch and Get Involved With the 2015 Montana Legislative Session

The Montana legislature only meets every other year, and that means each session is jam-packed with crucial issues. 2015 will be no exception as everything from the budget and health coverage, to a much-debate CSKT water rights compact will be on the docket. Luckily, there are some pretty easy ways for the public to get involved in the session.

First up, Montana Legislative Services records and archives all of the sessions on their website leg.mt.gov. Many of the hearings will be carried on TVMT, and there is also a live feed of each session viewable here:

There is also a handy bill tracker provided by legislative services, that will help you find out where a bill is at in the legislative process, and when it will be up for discussion again. Citizens can also create a "Preference Account" that will tell them when there is activity on certain bills.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there are lots of ways that citizens can involve themselves in the legislative process. There is a handy search engine that includes all of the representatives and their phone numbers. It is also possible to send legislators  messages during the session via the online messaging form. Of course, there's also the old fashioned way of making your voice heard.

"I like to remind people that they can come to the capitol and testify at committee hearings and interact with the legislators right here in Helena," said Legislative Service Director Susan Fox. "It's their capitol and their legislature so we welcome them to come and testify."

The 2015 Legislative Session will begin on Monday, January 5.