From the Great Falls Tribune:
HELENA — Republican legislative leaders created a panel Friday to investigate the legitimacy of millions of dollars paid to state employees in confidential settlements since Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock took office.
House Speaker Austin Knudsen and Senate President Scott Sales cited a December memo by the Legislative Audit Division that found Montana had paid nearly $3 million between 2013 and 2017 from two government accounts designated for settlements.
By comparison, settlement payouts totaled $1.2 million between 2003 and 2012, according to the auditor’s data.