Senate Committee on Committees approves temporary replacements on interim panels, motion passes 6-0

The Montana Senate Committee on Committees voted, by roll call, to appoint temporary replacements for a sitting senator and to remove that senator from interim committee assignments.

A committee member moved, "I would I would move that Senator Smith replace Senator Wendy boy on, section e finance and claims, and that Senator. Yes, send a Marjo replace Senator Wendy boy on state and tribal relations." The chair called for discussion and then ordered a roll-call vote; the clerk announced six yes votes and the chair said, "Motion passes." The committee then adjourned.

The mover said the change "clears the deck for the rest of the interim so that we don't have this hanging over the interim work," explaining the immediate rationale: swapping in replacements so interim business can proceed. The chair clarified that appointments to the Finance and Claims IBCs are set by statute and that by changing committee membership the affected senator would be removed from those interim assignments.

A senator asked whether the senator in question was also appointed to an education study; the chair said that education appointments are made by the senate president and not by the Committee on Committees.

Legislative staff confirmed there was no public comment. "There is nobody on Zoom to provide public comment," Rachel Weisz of Legislative Services said.

The motion, as stated on the record, named Sen. Smith for Section E (Finance and Claims) and Jacinda Morjot for the State-Tribal Relations interim committee and was approved 6-0. The transcript alternately spells the affected senator's name as "Windy Boy" and "Wendy boy"; the record does not settle the discrepancy.

The meeting ended with the chair saying the item was complete and adjourning the committee.