Montana SB 96 would make it illegal to pay circulators of an initiative on a per-signatures basis, and would also make it illegal for out-of-state residents to circulate an initiative petition. It has been passed by both houses. However, on April 13, the Senate refused to concur in House amendments, so a conference committee has been appointed. The disagreements between the houses involve another part of the bill, over whether the Attorney General or the Legislative Reference Services should prepare summaries of initiatives.
This is bad bill, since the Montana Supreme Court will have more influence over initiatives. SB 96 was in response to initiatives approved by the state but later overturned by the Mt Supreme Court. One measure was a spending cap. Democrats want a 22-percent increase in the state budget while Republicans are pushing for 13-percent. The spending cap might have limited the growth of the state budget by 4 to 5 percent. Libertarians spoke agianst SB 96 in the Senate State Administration committee.