Meyers' transparency bill wins House OK

The Montana Legislature Wednesday approved on a party-line vote Rep. G. Bruce Meyers' plan to post on a website all state money that goes to tribal governments.

Meyers, R-Box Elder, said putting the expenditures on the Internet would enable tribal members and the general public just what money is going to the tribes.

One Republican legislator called the bill the most important legislation the Legislature will deal with this session.

Meyers said there is no place tribal members or the general public can look to see just what money is being sent to reservation governments, and this will enable them to see what kind of money is coming to the area.

For instance, he said, one woman on a reservation he represents - he didn't say if it was Fort Belknap or Rocky Boy - had a question about money that was sent to the tribal government under the Native language preservation program. He said the woman told him she could get no answers from the tribal government.

With this website, Meyers said, the woman could get her answers.

But Democrats complained about the process that was used to come up with the legislation. Democratic members of the Native American Caucus were especially critical of the bill.

Meyers is the only Republican Native lawmaker.

Rep. Carolyn Peace-Lopez, D-Billings, said she suspected the bill was in reaction "to one particular situation at one reservation," in apparent reference to the financial scandals at Meyers' home Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation.

She and others complained that the legislation had not been vetted by tribal governments around the state.

Meyers said that was true - the point of the bill was to provide information to the public, not to please tribal governments.

Hi-Line representatives, Stephanie Hess, R-Havre, Mike Lang, R-Malta, Roy Hollandsworth, R-Brady, and Meyers voted for the proposal.

The bill now goes to the Senate.