As established and defined by the Montana Constitution, the government of the State of Montana is composed of three branches, the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative. The powers of initiative and referendum are reserved for the citizens of Montana. The second and current state constitution was enacted in 1972. Among its changes, it stipulated that all Montanans' access to their government is a constitutionally protected right, and it includes the right to examine documents or to observe the deliberations of all public bodies or agencies of state government and its subdivisions.

Legislative Branch

Like the federal government and 48 other states, Montana has a bicameral legislature composed of two chambers, a 100-member House of Representatives and a 50-member

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. Legislators are elected by popular vote. As of 1992 term limits were enacted limiting House members to four 2-year terms, and Senate members to two 4-year terms. The Montana State Legislature convenes only on odd-numbered years, and for 90-day periods. In addition, state law allows for the legislature to be convened in special session by the governor or at the written request of a majority of the members. As of 2005, the Montana Legislature has been convened in special session thirty times in its history.

Executive branch

The daily administration of the state’s laws, as defined in the Montana Code Annotated, are carried out by the chief executive—the Governor, and their second in command the

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, the Secretary Of State, the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, the

Superintendent of Public Instruction A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educationa ...

, the

State Auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial ...

, and by the staff and employees of the 14 executive branch agencies. Acknowledging the importance of providing for an orderly arrangement in the administrative organization of state government, the number of principal departments from which all executive and administrative offices, boards, bureaus, commissions, agencies and instrumentalities of the executive branch (except for the office of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, and auditor) must perform their respective functions, powers, and duties, is constitutionally limited to not more than 20 principal departments.Montana Constitution Article VI Section 7.20, "''Departments''" Currently the state operates with 14 principal departments. Provision is made within the state constitution for the establishment of temporary commissions not allocated within a department.

Executive branch agencies

Commissions, Councils, Boards and Offices

Advisory Council on Aging
Aeronautics Board
Banking Board
Board of Crime Control
Board of Environmental Review
Board of Housing
Board of Investments
Board of Pardons and Parole
Board of Public Assistance
Board of Public Education
Board of Research and Commercialization
Brain Injury Advisory Council
Burial Preservation Board
Capital Finance Advisory Council
Capitol Complex Advisory Council
Child & Family Services Advisory Councils
Children's Special Health Services Advisory Council
Coal Board
Commissioner of Political Practices
Consensus Council
Council on Homelessness
County Printing Board
Disability Advisory Council
Early Childhood Advisory Council
Economic Development Advisory Council
Electronic Government Advisory Council
HIV/AIDS Advisory Council
Information Technology Board
Interagency Coordinating Council
Land Information Advisory Council
Medicaid Drug Use Review Board
Mental Health Oversight Advisory Council
Montana Arts Council
Montana Heritage Commission
Montana Lottery
Montana State Fund
Office of Public Instruction
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
Office of the State Public Defender
Petroleum Board
Provider Rates & Services Commission
Public Employees Retirement System

Public Service Commission Public Service Commission may refer to: * Public utilities commission ** Alabama Public Service Commission ** Public Service Commission (Indiana) ** Public Service Commission of Utah ** Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ** Public Utilities Com ...

Publishing Policy Committee
Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission
State Tax Appeal Board

Statewide Independent Living Council Some states in the United States have a state-named ''Independent Living Council''. While federal funding exists, each state's funding is allocated by the individual state's legislature. Although they can make recommendations, they have few to no ...

Statewide Interoperability Executive Council
Teachers Retirement Board
Tobacco Prevention Advisory Board
Tourism Advisory Council
Transportation Commission
Vocational Rehabilitation Council
Worklife Wellness Advisory Council

Judicial Branch

The highest court in the state is the Montana Supreme Court. The court hears cases pertaining to the disputes involving Montana State Government, and interprets; state statutes, the State constitution, and administrative rules. Unlike most state court systems and the federal judiciary, Montana does not have an intermediate appellate court; the State Supreme Court must hear all appeals. The Montana Supreme Court has other duties, including lawyer discipline and revisions of various rules, such as the Montana Rules of Civil and Appellate Procedure, the Rules of Professional Conduct that apply to Montana lawyers, and the Rules of Lawyer Disciplinary Enforcement that govern lawyer discipline cases. On occasion, the Montana Supreme Court also must determine whether to impose judicial discipline as recommended by the Judicial Standards Commission. The

Montana Water Court The Montana Water Court is a court of law in the U.S. state of Montana which has jurisdiction over the adjudication of water rights. The filing, verification, recording, and enforcement of water rights in the Montana Territory and, later, the sta ...

adjudicates matters of water rights within the state. The Judicial power of the State of Montana is vested in the following: *The Supreme Court, consisting of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices *The District Courts *The Workers' Compensation Court *The Water Court *The Courts of Limited Jurisdiction, which include Justice Courts, Municipal Courts, and City Courts.

References

External links

Montana Code Annotated (MCA

Montana State Legislatur

State of Montana, Agency Listing

{{Governments of the United States Government of Montana, Montana State Government