Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

67th Legislature                                                                                                        SB 160.1
                                                     SENATE BILL NO. 160
                                                  INTRODUCED BY D. KARY
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   A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: “AN ACT GENERALLY REVISING THE COMPOSITION OF THE PUBLIC
   SERVICE COMMISSION; PROVIDING FOR COMMISSIONER APPOINTMENTS; AMENDING SECTIONS 10-
   1-1010, 13-12-207, 13-37-216, 13-37-240, 69-1-103, 69-1-105, 69-1-106, AND 69-1-107, MCA; REPEALING
   SECTION 69-1-104, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE AND A TERMINATION
   DATE.”
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   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
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              Section 1. Section 10-1-1010, MCA, is amended to read:
              "10-1-1010.    Appointment of acting officials. (1) When an elected official is ordered to military
   service, an acting official must be appointed as provided in this section if:
              (a)   the elected official is precluded pursuant to federal law from performing the official duties of the
   office; or
              (b)   the elected official requests the appointment of an acting official.
              (2)   If an acting official is appointed, the acting official shall take any oath of office required to assume
   the office, shall exercise all the rights, powers, and duties vested in the office, and must be provided with all the
   employment rights and benefits associated with the position until the elected official is restored to office
   pursuant to 10-1-1008(5) or the elected official's term expires, whichever occurs first.
              (3)   (a) The governor shall appoint the acting official for any office elected by the state at large and for
   the office of district judge, public service commissioner, or any other elected regional or district office of the
   state.
              (b)   An acting official for a legislative district must be appointed using the procedures in 5-2-402.
              (c) The board of county commissioners shall appoint the acting official for any elected office of a
   county.
              (d)   The city or town council shall appoint the acting official for any elected office of a city or town.
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              (4)      For any elected office not covered under subsection (3), the governing body shall determine the
   method by which an acting official may be appointed pursuant to this section.
              (5)      An appointment of an acting official pursuant to this section must be made for a period not to
   exceed the unexpired term for the office and subject to the right of the elected official to be restored to the office
   upon returning from the military service, as provided in 10-1-1008(5)."
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              Section 2. Section 13-12-207, MCA, is amended to read:
              "13-12-207. Order of placement. (1) The order on the ballot for state and federal offices must be as
   follows:
              (a)      If the election is in a year in which a president of the United States is to be elected, in spaces
   separated from the balance of the party tickets by a line must be the names and spaces for voting for
   candidates for president and vice president. The names of candidates for president and vice president for each
   political party must be grouped together.
              (b)      United States senator;
              (c)      United States representative;
              (d)      governor and lieutenant governor;
              (e)      secretary of state;
              (f)      attorney general;
              (g)      state auditor;
              (h)      state superintendent of public instruction;
              (i)      public service commissioners;
              (j)(i)    clerk of the supreme court;
              (k)(j)     chief justice of the supreme court;
              (l)(k)     justices of the supreme court;
              (m)(l)      district court judges;
              (n)(m)       state senators;
              (o)(n) members of the Montana house of representatives.
              (2)      The following order of placement must be observed for county offices:
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              (a)   clerk of the district court;
              (b)   county commissioner;
              (c)   county clerk and recorder;
              (d)   sheriff;
              (e)   coroner;
              (f)   county attorney;
              (g)   county superintendent of schools;
              (h)   county auditor;
              (i)   public administrator;
              (j)   county assessor;
              (k)   county treasurer;
              (l)   surveyor;
              (m)    justice of the peace.
              (3)   The secretary of state shall designate the order for placement on the ballot of any offices not on
   the above lists, except that the election administrator shall designate the order of placement for municipal,
   charter, or consolidated local government offices and district offices when the district is part of only one county.
              (4)   Constitutional amendments must be placed before statewide referendum and initiative measures.
   Ballot issues for a county, municipality, school district, or other political subdivision must follow statewide
   measures in the order designated by the election administrator.
              (5)   If any offices are not to be elected they may not be listed, but the order of the offices to be filled
   must be maintained.
              (6)   If there is a short-term and a long-term election for the same office, the long-term office must
   precede the short-term."
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              Section 3. Section 13-37-216, MCA, is amended to read:
              "13-37-216. Limitations on contributions -- adjustment. (1) (a) Subject to adjustment as provided
   for in subsection (3) and subject to 13-35-227 and 13-37-219, aggregate contributions for each election in a
   campaign by a political committee or by an individual, other than the candidate, to a candidate are limited as
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   follows:
              (i)   for candidates filed jointly for the office of governor and lieutenant governor, not to exceed $500;
              (ii) for a candidate to be elected for state office in a statewide election, other than the candidates for
   governor and lieutenant governor, not to exceed $250;
              (iii) for a candidate for any other public office, not to exceed $130.
              (b)   A contribution to a candidate includes contributions made to any political committee organized on
   the candidate's behalf. A political committee that is not independent of the candidate is considered to be
   organized on the candidate's behalf.
              (2)   All political committees except those of political party organizations are subject to the provisions of
   subsection (1). Political party organizations may form political committees that are subject to the following
   aggregate limitations, adjusted as provided for in subsection (3) and subject to 13-37-219, from all political party
   committees:
              (a)   for candidates filed jointly for the offices of governor and lieutenant governor, not to exceed
   $18,000;
              (b)   for a candidate to be elected for state office in a statewide election, other than the candidates for
   governor and lieutenant governor, not to exceed $6,500;
              (c)   for a candidate for public service commissioner, not to exceed $2,600;
              (d)(c)   for a candidate for the state senate, not to exceed $1,050;
              (e)(d)   for a candidate for any other public office, not to exceed $650.
              (3)   (a) The commissioner shall adjust the limitations in subsections (1) and (2) by multiplying each
   limit by an inflation factor, which is determined by dividing the consumer price index for June of the year prior to
   the year in which a general election is held by the consumer price index for June 2002.
              (b)   The resulting figure must be rounded up or down to the nearest:
              (i)   $10 increment for the limits established in subsection (1); and
              (ii) $50 increment for the limits established in subsection (2).
              (c) The commissioner shall publish the revised limitations as a rule.
              (4)   A candidate may not accept any contributions, including in-kind contributions, in excess of the
   limits in this section.
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              (5)   For purposes of this section, "election" means the general election or a primary election that
   involves two or more candidates for the same nomination. If there is not a contested primary, there is only one
   election to which the contribution limits apply. If there is a contested primary, then there are two elections to
   which the contribution limits apply."
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              Section 4. Section 13-37-240, MCA, is amended to read:
              "13-37-240.    Surplus campaign funds. (1) A candidate shall dispose of any surplus funds from the
   candidate's campaign within 120 days after the time of filing the closing campaign report pursuant to 13-37-228.
   In disposing of the surplus funds, a candidate may not contribute the funds to another campaign, including the
   candidate's own future campaign, or use the funds for personal benefit. A successful candidate for a statewide
   elected or legislative office or for public service commissioner may establish a constituent services account as
   provided in 13-37-402. The candidate shall provide a supplement to the closing campaign report to the
   commissioner showing the disposition of any surplus campaign funds.
              (2)   For purposes of this section, "personal benefit" means a use that will provide a direct or indirect
   benefit of any kind to the candidate or any member of the candidate's immediate family."
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              Section 5. Section 69-1-103, MCA, is amended to read:
              "69-1-103.    Composition of commission. (1) The commission shall consist consists of threefive
   members, who mustshall be qualified electors of the district from which they are elected, with each such
   member elected from a separate district of the state and meet the qualifications in subsection (3).
              (2)   The members of the commission must be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate.
   Not more than two members may be members of the same political party.
              (3)   (a) When appointing commissioners, the governor shall consider persons who have 5 years or
   more experience practicing law in Montana, or in engineering, public accounting, or property and utility
   valuation and finance professions. Commissioners must be representative of the general public and have a
   general knowledge of the laws governing and administering the department of public service regulation and the
   purpose of the commission.
              (b)   A person is not eligible to be appointed if the person has been employed with an entity or an
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   affiliated company of an entity that is subject to regulation by the commission within 1 year from the date when
   the person's term on the commission begins.
              (c)   A person is not eligible for appointment unless the person has resided in the state 2 years
   immediately before appointment."
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              Section 6. Section 69-1-105, MCA, is amended to read:
              "69-1-105.   Term of office -- term limits. (1) A term is for a period of 4 5 years. A commissioner when
   appointed elected shall qualify at the time and in the manner provided by law for other state officers and shall
   take office on the first Monday of January after the election their appointment and approval by the Montana
   senate.
              (2)   A commissioner may not serve more than 10 years in a 20-year period.
              (2)(3)   A commissioner shall serve until a successor is elected and qualified appointed and takes
   office.
              (3)   The secretary of state or other authorized official may not certify a candidate's nomination or
   election to the public service commission or print or cause to be printed on any ballot the name of a candidate
   for the public service commission if, at the end of the current term of that office, the candidate will have served
   in that office or, had the candidate not resigned or been recalled, would have served in that office for 8 or more
   years in a 16-year period.
              (4) When computing the time served for the purposes of subsection (3), the provisions of subsection
   (3) do not apply to time served in terms that ended during or prior to January 1995."
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              Section 7. Section 69-1-106, MCA, is amended to read:
              "69-1-106.   Vacancies. (1) Any vacancy occurring in the commission must be filled by appointment by
   the governor as provided in this section. The appointee shall hold office until the next general election and until
   a successor is elected and qualified. At the biennial election following the occurrence of any vacancy in the
   commission, there must be elected one member to fill out the unexpired term for which the vacancy exists.
              (2)   (a) When a vacancy occurs, if the former incumbent represented a party eligible for primary
   election under 13-10-601, the person appointed by the governor must be a member of the same political party
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   and must be selected by the governor as provided in subsections (3) and (4).
              (b)   If the former incumbent was an independent or was originally nominated from a party that does
   not meet the requirements of 13-10-601, the governor shall appoint an individual to the vacant position within
   45 days of receiving notification from the secretary of state of the vacancy.
              (3) Within 7 days of being notified of a vacancy as described in 2-16-501, the secretary of state shall
   notify the governor and, if the former incumbent represented a party eligible for primary election under 13-10-
   601, the state party that was represented by the former incumbent.
              (4)   (a) Upon receipt of a notification of a vacancy, the state party central committee notified pursuant
   to subsection (3) has 30 days to forward to the governor a list of three prospective appointees, each of whom
   must be a resident of the district represented by the former incumbent.
              (b)   If the governor does not select an appointee from the list forwarded pursuant to subsection (4)(a)
   within 15 days, the central committee shall, within 15 days, forward a second list of three prospective
   appointees, each of whom must be a resident of the district represented by the former incumbent. The second
   list may not contain a name submitted on the first list. Within 15 days of receipt of the second list, the governor
   shall select an appointee from either list.
              (2)   If the senate is not in session, the appointment is subject to confirmation during the next session.
   An appointment to fill any vacancy is for the unexpired term for which the vacancy exists."
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              Section 8. Section 69-1-107, MCA, is amended to read:
              "69-1-107.   Presiding officer of commission. A presiding officer must be selected by the
   commission from its membership at the first meeting of each odd-numbered year after a general election."
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              NEW SECTION. Section 9.         Salaries of public service commissioners. Before June 30 of each
   even-numbered year, the department of public service regulation shall conduct a salary survey of public utility
   commissioners or officials with similar titles for the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho.
   The department shall consider the current salary for the Montana commissioners in determining the average
   salary for the commissioners. If the average salary is greater than the salary for the commissioners in Montana,
   then beginning July 1 of the year following the year in which the survey is conducted, the average salary is the
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