Week 16: Legislative Session Update
While session may be coming to a close here soon, there are still ample ways to take action!
Continue reading below about how you can make your voice heard in support of Medicaid in both the legislature and with our federal delegation, expanding school lunch access, and asking Gov. Gianforte to veto any anti-trans bills that come across his desk.
In solidarity,
Julia Maxon
Program Director, Catalyst Montana
Take Action
It's going to take all of us to create a Montana where there is justice, safety, and dignity for all. This means that we need YOU to take contact your legislator this legislative session.
Call the capitol switchboard at 406-444-4800
The switchboard is open 7 AM to 5:30 PM M-F
State your name, where you're located, and ask to leave a message Supporting / Opposing the bill you want to leave comment on
There's a new system for leaving message to legislators this year that does require you to create an account. You'll need to go to legmt.gov/participate
Be sure to enter in your email address and press verify to get a confirmation code. Note: you will not be able to proceed forward in the form if you do not complete this first step.
To testify virtually, go to legmt.gov/participate. Like submitting a public comment, you will need to create an account first and verify your email.
You will be able to sign up to testify two hours before the hearing.
In your testimony, be sure to say, "Chair and members of the committee, my name is [insert full name and spell out your last name] and I live in [insert place in MT]. I'm here to SUPPORT / OPPOSE [HB/SB #] for [insert your reason]. Close by saying: [Thank you for your time and please vote YES/ NO on this bill.]
Priority Bills
Key: ✅ Support ❌ Oppose 🔵 Tracking
Health Care
The current Federal budget resolution negotiations include potential cuts to Medicaid that would impede the ability of Montanans to access the care they rely on! Congress is back in session the last week of April and the plan from Speaker Johnson is to have the reconciliation package, i.e. cuts to Medicaid and other social programs, passed by Memorial Day.
✅ HB 881 (Rep. Mary Caffero)
This bill revises Montana's Medicaid buy-in program to expand eligibility to include children with disabilities, in addition to the existing program for workers with disabilities. Specifically, HB 881 allows children under 19 years of age who are considered disabled to participate in the Medicaid buy-in program if their family income is up to the maximum level allowed by federal law.
This bill addresses a major gap in coverage for services outside a hospital setting for familes who make too much for Medicaid but too little to get all the services they need for their child with disabilities.
HB 881 will be heard on the Senate Floor on Tuesday, April 22. Call the switchboard and ask YOUR Senator to vote YES on HB 881
LGBTQ+ Rights
Urge the Governor to veto these four bills that threaten the safety of transgender Montanans:
❌SB 437 (Sen. Carl Glimm) attempts to erase transgender, intersex, non-binary, and Two Spirit Montanans from the Montana code, thereby removing the rights, privileges, and considerations for this community under the law. A very similar bill from 2023 was heard recently in court and ruled unconstitutional.
❌SB 218 (Sen. John Fuller) while amended to only be applicable if a doctor doesn't follow best practices, is still an attempt to end gender affirming care and undermines the safety of everyone in our community, specifically transgender, nonbinary, intersex and Two Spirit individuals.
❌ HB 400 (Rep. Braxton Mitchell) endangers students by allowing school employees and students to purposefully use the wrong pronouns or name for someone.
❌ HB 471 (Rep. Jedidah Hinkle) restricts students from learning about LGBTQ2S+ people.
Economic Justice
✅ HB 551 (Rep. Melissa Romano)
This bill establishes a state program to eliminate reduced-price copayments for school lunch and breakfast in Montana, recognizing that requiring families eligible for reduced-price meals to pay a portion of the meal cost creates a barrier to participation.
HB 551 would eliminate the cost of over 2 million meals served on average per year to kids on reduced-price school breakfast and lunch programs across the state, and this comes at a time where Montana kids face high levels of food insecurity. According to the Montana Food Bank Network, one in six children are food insecure.
HB 551 will be heard on the Senate Floor on Tuesday, April 22. Call the switchboard and ask YOUR Senator to vote YES on HB 551
