Seaborn Larson

Legislators in the Montana Senate and House of Representatives took their oaths of office on Monday kicking off the 69th Montana Legislature.

Several Republican judicial reform bills got initial approval Thursday in the first test of the party's legislative priority, albeit with inconsistent measures of GOP support.

Republicans senators hold a caucus meeting to discuss the ongoing standstill in the Montana Senate on Jan. 9

"The people of Montana expect that we find and adjudicate corruption in state government," said Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kalispell.

The Senate ethics committee will hear the case of Sen. Jason Ellsworth, whose controversial contract with Agile Analytics constituted an abuse of

House Bill 13 is widely known in the Capitol as the state pay plan and provides raises to employees in all areas of state government.

Video: President Regier discusses Ellsworth ethics investigation Senate President Matt Regier speaks at a press conference on Jan. 27 regarding an ethics investigation into actions by Sen.

The Legislature has continued to fiddle with the regulatory levers of the marijuana industry as the market matures.

The Montana Senate on Monday, Jan. 27 voted to send the matter of Sen. Jason Ellsworth's controversial sole source contract to the Senate Ethics Committee.

"This is nothing more than an effort to have biased judges who are going to align themselves with the Republican Party," one opponent said.