Senate Bill No. introduced by D. Emrich aims to enhance the transparency of the Judicial Standards Commission's investigations into judicial officers by requiring the commission to send any reports and evidence from such investigations to the House of Representatives. The bill amends Sections 3-1-1105 and 3-1-1106 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to establish this requirement and outlines the conditions under which the House may make these reports public. Specifically, it stipulates that the House may only release the reports if they are used in impeachment proceedings.

Additionally, the bill modifies the existing confidentiality provisions related to the commission's proceedings. It mandates that the commission provide the House of Representatives with a report of any investigation initiated by a citizen's complaint, including all evidence gathered during the investigation. The commission is also required to publicly recommend actions such as censure, suspension, or removal of a judicial officer to both the Supreme Court and the House of Representatives if the charges are found to be true. This legislative change aims to balance the need for confidentiality in judicial proceedings with the public's right to know about potential misconduct by judicial officers.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 3-1-1105, 3-1-1106
SB0158_1(1): 3-1-1105, 3-1-1106
SB0158_1(2): 3-1-1105, 3-1-1106
SB0158_1(3): 3-1-1105, 3-1-1106
SB0158_1(4): 3-1-1105, 3-1-1106
SB0158_1(5): 3-1-1105, 3-1-1106
SB0158_1: 3-1-1105, 3-1-1106