Our 2025 Legislative Session Recap
Despite a challenging political landscape, we saw several important victories in the 2025 legislative session. We secured the reauthorization of Medicaid Expansion in Montana and passed a bill which requires landlords to refund rental application fees to applicants who aren’t selected. We also successfully pushed back against harmful legislation targeting LGBTQ2S+ rights and efforts to politicize our judicial elections.
None of this would have been possible without you. Whether you submitted public comment, made phone calls, testified, protested, or simply sent a message of support—your involvement made a difference. Thank you for showing up for your community.
Below, you’ll find detailed reports on the key bills and issue areas we tracked during the session, along with outcomes for each.
In solidarity,
Julia Maxon
Program Director
Priority Bills
Key: ✅ Support ❌ Oppose
Health Care
Bills that have been signed into law
✅ HB 245 (Rep. Ed Buttrey)
This bill reauthorized Medicaid Expansion in Montana and removed the sunset clause in the Montana HELP Act which eliminates the need to reauthorize Medicaid Expansion in the future, acknowledging and enshrining Medicaid Expansion into Montana law.
✅ HB 399 (Rep. Jonathan Karlen)
The last thing someone needing insulin or an inhaler needs is to be denied coverage for these life-saving medications. This bill requires insurance companies to cover these necessary medications, among others.
✅ HB 76 (Rep. SJ Howell)
House Bill 76 will expand and regulate support services in the behavioral health field while ensuring quality and appropriate professional standards.
❌ HB 687 (Rep. Bill Mercer)
HB 687 raises the age of Montanans who would be required to meet work requirements from 55 to 62. 97 percent of folks on Medicaid Expansion are working or have a reasonable limitation as to why they cannot work such as attending school or taking care of a loved one. This bill will kick hundreds of eligible Montanans off their healthcare unnecessarily.
Bills that died in process
✅ HB 230 (Rep. Mary Caferro)
This bill would have reduced barriers to accessing the Medicaid program and fixed administrative hurdles for folks accessing the program.
✅ SB 72 (Sen. Mike Yakawich)
This bill would have established a presumptive eligibility program for Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) for elderly individuals and people with physical disabilities in Montana. Under this program, eligible individuals could have received temporary services while their full Medicaid application is being processed. SB 72 was vetoed by Gov. Gianforte.
✅ HB 881 (Rep. Mary Caferro)
This bill would have addressed a major gap in coverage for services outside a hospital setting for families who make too much for Medicaid but too little to get all the services they need for their child with disabilities. HB 881 sadly was also vetoed by Gov. Gianforte.
❌ SB 62 (Sen. Carl Glimm)
SB 62 would have phased out Montana's Medicaid expansion program. Specifically, the bill prohibited the DPHHS from enrolling new individuals in the expanded Medicaid program after September, effectively capping the program and closing it off from future eligible individuals.
✅ HB 386 (Rep. SJ Howell)
HB 386 would have reinstated 12-month continuous eligibility, which allows for more stable healthcare coverage for folks who take up seasonal work. Workers who take up this kind of work fill a valuable role in our economy and deserve to have health insurance in times when they have to work more.
❌ SB 334 (Sen. Matt Regier)
97 percent of folks who access their healthcare through Medicaid Expansion are working or have a legitimate reason to not being working full time, such as going to school or taking care of a loved one. SB 334 would potentially kick thousands of people with a legitimate reason for not working full time off their healthcare.
✅ HB 885 (Rep. SJ Howell)
Oftentimes, someone's Medicaid coverage can be removed for nothing else than procedural issues. This bill aimed to reduce barriers for folks accessing Medicaid services, which everyone on the program deserves.
✅ HB 884 (Rep. Mary Caferro)
While the legislature provided funding last session to address ongoing issues, there was no mechanism put in place to allow for ongoing funding. This would have solved for that problem.
✅ HB 185 (Rep. Ed Stafman)
Even a small gap in health coverage can lead to children not recieving the care they need in their young development. This bill would have ensured that kids stay covered even when their parents' income(s) might make them ineligible at some point in the year.
✅HJ 66 (Rep. SJ Howell)
With the potential of federal budget cuts looming, we need to know how DPHHS can protect services it provides by analyzing how federal cuts will affect its ability to provide those services.
LGBTQ+ Rights
Bills that have been signed into law
❌ HB 121 (Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe)
HB 121 would effectively ban trans people from using restrooms or public facilities that align with their gender identity. HB 121 was signed by the Governor and because it did have an effective immediate date, it was litigated in the courts by the ACLU of Montana, the ACLU, and Legal Voice. Recently, HB 121 was granted a preliminary injunction meaning that, as of now, HB 121 currently cannot be enforced.
❌ SB 218 (Sen. John Fuller)
SB 218 was initially drafted to further criminalize health care providers by allowing someone to sue a provider for treatment of gender dysphoria dating back to 25 years. SB 218 underwent several changes: Rep. Howell's amendment reduced its harm, but Gov. Gianforte's amendatory veto reintroduced harmful language. Though the veto failed in the House (59-38) and passed in the Senate, the governor's amendments were not adopted as a conference committee wasn't convened by Sine Die. Thus, the bill passed as initially amended.
❌ HB 682 (Rep. Greg Kmetz)
HB 682 requires that insurance plans that provide coverage for gender-affirming care also provide coverage for de-transition care. Like SB 218, HB 682 further criminalizes health care providers by allowing someone to sue a provider for treatment of gender dysphoria. Initially, HB 682 was drafted with a 25 year statute of limitations, but went through a series of amendments that were approved by the Governor to change that 25 years to more closely align with current medical malpractice law to 4 years of discovery.
❌ HB 300 (Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe)
HB 300 would effectively ban trans athletes from participating in sports in Montana public schools. HB 300 unfairly singles out trans students simply for who they are and distracts from the larger issues Montanans’ are facing like access to affordable health care and housing.
❌ HB 400 (Rep. Braxton Mitchell)
HB 400 endangers students by allowing school employees and students to purposefully use the wrong pronouns or name for someone.
❌ SB 437 (Sen. Carl Glimm)
SB 437 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.
❌ HB 446 (Rep. Jed Hinkle)
HB 446 effectively criminalizes transgender people when using public spaces like locker rooms, bathrooms, and changing areas. HB 446 in its initial form removed intent from indecent exposure laws when applied to transgender people. After vigorous debate, the Senate amended the bill to ensure it would only penalize people with intent to harm and the House later approved these changes. The Governor then issued an amendatory veto undoing bipartisan compromise. The amendatory veto from the Governor passed in both chambers.
❌ HB 471 (Rep. Jed Hinkle)
HB 471 restricts students from learning about LGBTQ2S+ people.
❌ HB 819 (Rep. Braxton Mitchell)
HB 819 would require that no flags or banners may be displayed on state property that represent a political viewpoint, including but not limited to flags or banners regarding a political party, race, sexual orientation, gender identity. HB 819 infringes on free speech.
❌ HB 638 (Rep. Randyn Gregg)
HB 638 would prohibit local and state agencies from providing their views on equity/diversity.
❌ HB 690 (Rep. Bill Mercer)
HB 690 would update definitions in the MCA around abuse and neglect to include raising a child a manner that is inconsistent with the child's assigned sex at birth. HB 690 is again yet another attempt to erase trans people from public life and attack trans kids and their support systems.
❌ HJ 10 (Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe)
HJ 10 is a proposed joint resolution from the Montana House and Senate urging the US Congress to pass the 'Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025.' HJ 10 is just another harmful, discriminatory piece of proposed anti-trans legislation that ultimately seeks to ban trans people from playing sports.
Bills that died in process
❌ HB 754 (Rep. Lukas Schubert)
HB 754 would have not only prevented children from accessing gender affirming care but would have also triggered the emergency removal and separation of trans youth from their families. HB 754 was cruel and yet another anti-trans bill that sought to erase trans folk from public life. HB 754 heard and died on the house floor just before transmittal also after some impassioned debate and moving floor speeches on a 71-27 vote.
❌ HB 675 (Rep. Caleb Hinkle)
HB 675 would have created a private right of action against drag performances and allowed parents/guardians of minors to file a private right of action against a drag performer for associated damages if that minor is “exposed” to a drag performer at a drag performance. HB 675 died on the House floor just before transmittal after some impassioned debate on a 55-45 vote.
❌ SB 164 (Sen. John Fuller)
SB 164 would have criminalized parents, caregivers, and medical providers who support children in accessing gender-affirming health care.
❌ SJ 15 (Sen. Bob Phalen)
SJ 15 was a resolution that urged the Supreme Court to overturn gay marriage. Opponents turned out for this one and SJ 15 was tabled in the Senate Judiciary committee!
❌ SB 299 (Sen. John Fuller)
SB 299 was another educational restriction on LGBTQ2S+ material in schools. SB 299 would have required school boards to adopt a policy to give parents 5 days notice before teaching certain material, policy for complaints about material taught, authorizing various agencies (attorney general, super of public instruction, county attorney) to sue a school district for certain violations. This bill was tabled in the House Education Committee on a 15-0 vote.
❌ HB 663 (Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe)
HB 663 would have prohibited DEI measures in education including prohibiting the consideration of race, color, ethnicity, or national origin by institutions of higher education in hiring, admissions, participation, benefits, scholarships, and financial aid. HB 663 would also have provided a way for students a way to sue if they felt like the school was taking into consideration race, color, ethnicity, or national orgin in administrative decisions.
❌ HB 635 (Rep. George Nikolakakos)
HB 635 would have prohibited local and state govs from implementing equity-based programming including training on DEI. HB 635 died on the house floor on a 58-41 vote.
❌ HB 618 (Rep. George Nikolakakos)
HB 618 would have prohibited state and local gov from using funds that promote equity and was tabled in the House Administration committee on an 18-1 vote.
✅ HB 798 (Rep. Zooey Zephyr)
HB 798 was our one proactive LGBTQ+ bill this session and was a constitutional amendment to repeal MCA code around banning gay marriage. This one was tabled in the House Judiciary committee on a party-line vote.
Criminal Legal
Bills that have been signed into law
✅ HB 475 (Rep.James Reavis)
House Bill 475 prohibits the use of restraints on incarcerated pregnant people during labor and delivery. The use of restraints on pregnant and postpartum women has been identified as medically dangerous, a human rights violation, and against national and international standards of care, and Montana is one of only 8 states to not have laws banning their use.
❌ HB 173 (Rep. Neil Duram)
This bill revises the definition of "victim" in the Montana Youth Court Act to include businesses, corporations or other legal entities, thereby making them eligible for restitution owed by youth offenders. Financial obligations like restitution often end up falling on the family, since youth don't have incomes, diverting resources away from basic necessities and further plunging low-income families into cycles of debt and poverty.
✅ SB 70 (Sen. Gayle Lammers)
The bill fastracks the process for removing a condition of supervision without a hearing. Many folks in Montana are under a lot more conditions than are necessary or related to their offense, and rates of revocation in MT are very high. The fewer conditions that folks under supervision have to meet, the greater their likelihood of sucess and the lower their chances are of having their superivsion revoked and being sent back to prison.
❌ SB 19 (Sen. Barry Usher)
SB 19 reverses 2017 reforms by raising penalties and reimposing jail time for low-level theft. For example, for first offense theft of property under $1,500, the bill now allows for a fine up to $1,500 or up to 6 months in county jail, whereas previous law only allowed up to a $500 fine. This bill will cause more people committing acts of nonviolent, low-level theft of items as low as $10 to end up ensnared in the justice system through incarceration and court debt, leading to additional prison and jail overcrowding and ongoing cycles of poverty.
❌ HB 332 (Rep. Bill Mercer)
This bill adds 8 new offenses for which youth as young as 12 can be moved to District Court, held in adult facilities, and sentenced as an adult. Trying youth as adults exposes them to harsher sentencing that overlooks the fact that their brains are still developing and that they could be rehabilited through treatment and programming designed for youth - the point of Youth Court - and detaining them in adult facilities will expose them to increased likelihood of physical and sexual abuse.
✅ SB 217 (Sen. Daniel Zolnikov)
SB 217 establishes a work time credit program for probationers and parolees in Montana, allowing them to reduce their supervision period by earning one day of credit for every 40-hour workweek of eligible employment. Many Montanans are subject to lengthy probation or parole sentences that increase the likelihood of revocation, and this bill could help to moderately reduce the time that they are under supervision.
❌ HB 578 (Rep. Bill Mercer)
HB 578 removes considerations of a person's financial resources and ability to pay when determining restitution amounts they will owe and prohibits their ability to petition for a reconsideration until a year after sentencing, when they no longer have access to a public defender. Removing the requirement that a judge consider ability to pay will saddle low-income folks with unpayable court debts that will further trap them in cycles of poverty and incarceration.
❌ HB 833 (Rep. John Fitzpatrick)
This bill allocates $246 million for new state prison facilities and $3.5 million for operations. An additional $4 million is for assessing the current prison system and planning a "comprehensive correction system." Unused funds for new prisons will go to the "Future of Corrections Fund" which could be used to expand prison bed capacity in coordination with private corporations. Instead of reducing incarceration through penalty reductions or investments in upstream solutions like behavioral health, this bill expands prison beds, which research indicates increases incarceration.
✅ HJ 23 (Rep. James Reavis)
This bill would designate an interim committee to study and propose legislation to simplify and streamline the Montana Youth Court Act. The bill emphasizes that any proposed changes should remain consistent with the original legislative purposes of the Youth Court Act, should not focus on increasing youth punishment, and should primarily address procedural improvements. This is an opportunity to study ways the Youth Court Act could be improved to better support system-involved youth and treat them more fairly.
❌ HB 642 (Rep. Greg Overstreet)
This bill makes survival camping by unhoused folks in violation of local ordinances a state-level public nuisance offense, punishable by a fine of up to $500 for each day the nuisance continues. Unhoused people are already being targeted by towns and cities across Montana despite a lack of affordable housing or shelter beds, and this bill would worsen that by allowing county attornies to prosecute people even if localities themselves decline to, and to increase fines on vulnerable folks who already have few means.
✅ HJ 45 (Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe)
This bill seeks an interim committee to study Montana's criminal record expungement laws, their impacts, and propose legislation. The study will address challenges individuals with expunged records face, including employment and housing barriers, discrimination, and difficulties clearing records digitally. The committee will examine how landlords and employers interpret expunged records, analyze recidivism rates and employment outcomes, and explore peer support models for reentry programs.
✅ HB 707 (Rep. Jane Gillette)
This bill mandates the Montana Department of Corrections to prioritize an inmate's family attachments and their ability to maintain those connections when considering out-of-state transfers. Keeping inmates in Montana, near their families, support networks, and culture, is crucial for rehabilitation and successful re-entry into their communities. While out-of-state transfers are generally bad policy, this bill helps keep individuals with families in-state, safeguarding the stability of both the incarcerated person and their family.
✅ HB 718 (Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe)
This bill creates a Montana Department of Labor and Industry Office of Reentry Services to aid formerly incarcerated individuals in community reintegration. The office will coordinate state agency support in job training, education, housing, transportation, food, and behavioral health, collaborating with departments and consulting the Montana State Workforce Innovation Board and various stakeholders.
Bills that died in process
✅ HB 50 (Rep. Ron Marshall)
This bill would have expanded existing Good Samaritan protections by adding specific safeguards for parents with substance use issues. Specifically, it prohibits using a parent's positive drug test as the sole basis for initiating child abuse investigations, placing a child in protective care, starting abuse and neglect proceedings, or terminating parental rights. The bill aims to encourage individuals with substance use disorders to seek help without fear of immediate legal or familial consequences, recognizing that substance use disorder is a medical condition that requires support rather than punitive action.
✅ HB 93 (Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe)
This bill establishes a compensation program for individuals who have been wrongfully convicted of felony crimes in Montana. The bill provides a $5,000 transition assistance grant and allows claimants to seek damages of $65,000 for each year of imprisonment and $25,000 for each year on parole or required to register as an offender, and mandates complete expungement of arrest and conviction records upon a successful claim, effectively treating the person as if they were never arrested or convicted.
❌ HB 205 (Rep. Shannon Maness)
This bill proposes to broaden the law that specifies which substance Montana has to use in executions, shifting the specific requirement for “ultra-fast-acting barbiturate in combination of a chemical paralytic agent” to the more general requirement of "a single intravenous injection of a lethal substance or substances". The impact of this bill would have been to effectively reinstate the death penalty in Montana.
❌ HB 395 (Rep. Braxton Mitchell)
This bill would have created a new, extremely broad definition of "unsound mind" in the state code and adds mental hospitals to the definition of "penal institution." Since Montana law bars from voting anyone determined to be of "unsound mind" or held in a penal institution, the impact of the broad definitions in this bill would be to disenfranchise thousands of Montanans, including people with disabilities, veterans with combat injuries, folks with Alzheimers or dementia, or a non-criminal commitment to the State Hospital.
❌ HB 540 (Rep. Steven Kelly)
HB 540 bill would have allowed the Department of Corrections to contract with private, for-profit corporations to create prerelease centers, treatment centers, and residential methamphetamine treatment programs. For-profit corporations currently contracting with DOC have a history of human rights abuses and a failure to meet contractual requirements to provide adequate programming, with little to no oversight or accountability from DOC.
✅ HB 795 (Rep. James Reavis)
This bill would have allowed for folks with nonviolent felony convictions to have their criminal records expunged after a period of ten years without committing a new offense. A criminal record can make it harder for someone to obtain a job or housing, and expungement would clear their record so that their old conviction doesn't continue to hinder their future opportunities.
Housing and Cost of Living
Bills that have been signed into law
❌ SB 101 (Sen. Becky Beard)
This was a sneaky bill and has some bad impacts for renters. It duplicates existing trespass laws, but upgrades the offense to a misdemeanor and also provides an avenue for landlords to circumvent eviction proceedings. This bill ignores due process for renters with verbal leases. There has been no documented need for this legislation, but similar bills have been passed across the country.
✅ HB 311 (Rep. Kelly Kortum)
This bill requires that landlords and property management companies must refund any rental application fees to the applicant if they did not give them a lease. It was amended to only affect property management companies. The impact of this bill is that renters looking for a place will get their application fees refunded if they're not considered.
❌ HB 940 (Rep. Anthony Nicastro)
While Representative Overstreet still holds the title for worst houseless poilcy bill with HB 642, Represenative Nicastro made a swipe for the crown with HB 940. The bill bans camping anywhere on state lands that is attached to a highway, which includes under bridges, in ditches, or nearby fields. Violation of this law is a $50 penalty, which only adds to the litany of other bills and ordinances that criminalize being unhoused.
Bills that died in process
✅ SB 216 (Sen. Mary Ann Dunwell)
SB 216 would have clarified what would constitute normal wear and tear to a rental, limited the amount landlords could charge for cleaning labor, and specified that security deposits may not be used to pay for new paint or recarpeting of a unit after tenancies of more than two years. Also, it would have standardized the timeline for any actions regarding deposit returns to three weeks, (21 days). Like many pro-renter bills, it died in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
✅ HB 154 (Rep. Jonathan Karlen)
HB 154 would have provided a new housing tax credit that would have granted tax relief on a sliding scale based on household income. The credit targeted both homeowners and renters with a household income less than $150,000. The bill made it out of the House with bipartisan support, but died in the Senate Taxation Committee on a tied vote. This was a missed opportunity for the legislature to deliver meaningful tax relief to people who needed it.
✅ HB 274 (Rep. Ed Stafman)
HB 274 would have allowed unhoused people recovering from medical procedures to access short term supportive housing until they are well. This would have used Medicaid funds to help those who would be forced to recover on the streets to access supportive housing and care. The bill was blasted out of the House Judiciary Committee and passed to the Senate where it was tabled narrowly in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
✅ HB 277 (Rep. Brian Close)
HB 277 would have provided a minimum lease term for mobile home lot tenancies at two years. It was designed to protect tenants from arbitrary evictions and provide more stability for mobile home owners. It was tabled in the House Judiciary Committee early in the session.
✅ HB 305 (Rep. Jonathan Karlen)
HB 305 would have provided a mobile home dispute program which would allow a mechanism for mobile home residents to remedy their complaints or violations. It would have also allowed mobile home residents to have the right of first refusal if the park would go up for sale. Like many tenant-right bills, it died in the House Judiciary Committee.
✅ SB 501 (Sen. Laura Smith)
SB 501 would have provided tenants a first right of refusal to buy their unit in the case that their landlord desired to sell that unit. While this wouldn't be an option for many tenants, it would have provided opportunities to keep housing in the hands of Montanans instead of out of state developers/landlords.
✅ HB 843 (Rep. SJ Howell)
This bill would have made $1 million a year availalbe to supplement federal funds to rapidly rehouse folks experienceing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. A key feature of this bill is that it would have allowed funds to be used for rentals of up to 150% of fair market value, which would have made these funds more effective at getting people housed. Across Montana, our housing crisis is pushing more and more people out of housing. Rather than addressing this crisis, our legislature refused to pass a single bill to help people find or maintain housing.
✅ HJ 43 (Rep. Melissa Nikolakakos)
This was an interim study resolution that would require the state to study the capacity and effectiveness of current homeless services. It is looking to not only consult with local governments, but also service providers, and most importantly, people with lived experiences. Sadly, HJ 43 died in process like many other bills this session that would have provided needed funds for supportive services.
Counter Extremism
Bills that have been signed into law
❌ HB 278 (Rep. Kelly Nichol)
This law allows law enforcement to inquire as to the immigration status of an individual during a traffic stop. A good example of exactly how this law is going to be used to racially profile people and wrongly detain individuals legally present in this country would be to look at the recent case of Beker del Castillo, a legally authorized Venezuelan man pulled over for a broken tail light in Whitefish, detained and wrongly transferred to a ICE detention facility in Tacoma, WA.
Bills that died in process
❌ SB 114 (Sen. Bob Phalen)
This bill would have mandated the display of the 10 commandments in every school classroom in Montana. This is a blatant violation of the establishment clause of the first amendment, and yet another attempt by Christian extremists to push a religious belief and agenda in our schools.
✅ HB 361 (Rep. Connie Keogh)
This bill would have provided funding and support system for English language learners (ELLs) in Montana's public schools. The proposal provides state matching funds to school districts receiving federal subgrants for ELL programs as well as stipends for instructors. This would have helped ELL students enrolled in public schools keep up with academic progress and get the support needed to succeed.
✅ HB 275 (Rep. Ed Stafman)
This bill aimed to create a new type of driving document called a driving privilege card for individuals who are ineligible for a standard driver's license. The driving privilege card allows eligible individuals to legally operate a motor vehicle in Montana, ensuring compliance with registration and insurance laws. This bill aimed to provide a legal driving option for individuals who might otherwise be unable to obtain a standard driver's license, while maintaining safety standards and insurance requirements.
❌ HB 896 (Rep. Lukas Schubert)
This bill was designed to target individuals and non-profits who provide services and aid to undocumented or unlawful immigration status. Knowing that these groups provide services to low-income and marginalized communities, without inquiring as to their immigration status, the bill aimed to cut off a vital source of support to immigrants and their families. Criminal penalties were proposed including fines and imprisonment up to 6 months for those who knowingly assist or harbor those with non-compliant immigration status.
❌ SB 525 (Sen. Theresa Manzella)
This bill would have authorized use of school chaplains in school districts and public charter schools. This is another blatant attempt to interject religion into public schools. Also, SB 525 would have allowed self-described religious chaplains to take the place of licensed School Counselors (NCSC/ACSC) who have no state mandated counseling experience or credentials.
❌ HB 663 (Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe)
HB 663 would have proposed restricting institutions of higher education from using race or related characteristics in admissions, hiring, scholarships, financial aid, or any program activities. This bill also allows for a private right of action to be used by any complaintant who feels like like they were discriminated against by race. The bill essentially bans any scholarships reserved for BIPOC students.
Economic Justice, Taxes & Budget
Bills that have been signed into law
✅ HB 551 (Rep. Melissa Romano)
No student should ever go hungry. Unfortunately, many in our school system do. This bill will close the gap that we currently have by eliminating reduced-price copayments, because even reduced-priced breakfasts and lunches can be major barriers for parents and students to participate.
Bills that died in process
✅ HB 297 (Rep. SJ Howell)
HB 297 would have established a requirement for paid sick days. Workers should not have to worry about their job security or pay check if and when they get sick or a family member they care for gets sick. This is a basic protection and right for the working class. Sadly, HB 297 died in the process.
❌ SB 354 (Sen. Daniel Zolnikov)
SNAP recipients are no more likely to buy soft drinks or candy than other consumers. This bill would have further stigmatized individuals who receive SNAP benefits and limit their autonomy.
Childcare & Early Education
Bills that died in process
✅ HB 457 (Rep. Jonathan Karlen)
HB 457 would have modified the eligibility requirements for the Best Beginnings
Child Care Scholarship Program by changing the income threshold for
qualifying families from 185% of the federal poverty level to 85% of
the state median income. Increasing access to the child care
scholarship would mean more families can use it and more programs
typically accept it, stabilizing the system, increasing supply, and
giving low and moderate income families more choices about their child
care settings.
✅ HB 360 (Rep. Melissa Romano)
HB 360 would have created the child care workforce recruitment and retention support payment program. Persistently low wages in child care have led to severe staff shortages and high turnover in child care facilities. This bill would help childcare providers who struggle to hire and retain staff by helping provider childcare workers receive a livable wage.
✅ HB 456 (Rep. Jonathan Karlen)
HB 456 would have extended the Best Beginnings Scholarship eligibility to child care workers. One of the underlying issues with the affordability and accessibility crisis in child care we are seeing in Montana is the staff turnover child care providers frequently experience. Extending child care assistance to child care workers is a tried and proven way to stabilize the workforce so providers are able to hire and retain staff at healthier rates. Despite being passed with bipartisan support in the legislature, this bill was recently vetoed by Gov. Gianforte.
Pro-Democracy & Voting Rights
Bills that died in process
❌ SB 13 (Sen. Daniel Emrich)
SB 13 would have removed original jurisdiction from the MT Supreme Court to do ballot initiative review, if proponents of the initiative believe the attorney general was incorrect in determining legal deficiency, and instead gives that to District courts. Parties would then need to appeal to the MT Supreme Court.
❌ SB 43 (Sen. Daniel Emrich)
SB 43 would have prohibited an injunction from limiting enforcement of a statute (or law) against a nonparty to a legal case and limits the scope of injunctions that restrain the enforcement of a statute (or law).
❌ SB 52 (Sen. Tom McGillvray)
SB 52 would have created a new court to handle cases involving certain business disputes, non-local land use issues, and constitutional challenges. This court would have governor-appointed judges which is in stark contrast to other judges in Montana who are voted on by the people.
✅ HB 272 (Rep. Ed Stafman)
HB 272 would have provided for keeping the legislative bill drafting files as public records and available to the public
❌ HB 751 (Rep. Lukas Schubert)
This bill would have required MT Supreme Court candidates to run under a partisan or "undisclosed" label.
❌ SB 385 (Sen. Tom McGillvray)
This bill would have created a brand new court, costing Montana taxpayers an estimated $1.4 million every year, to hear cases related to the constitutionality of state actions. Currently, these cases are heard by District courts and then appealed to the MT Supreme Court, both of which have justices elected by Montana voters. This new court would have judges appointed by the Governor, completely bypassing the people of Montana.
❌ HB 506 (Rep. Brad Barker)
HB 506 would have created a partisan nominating process for possible MT Supreme Court justice candidates to then be chosen from and appointed by the Governor, completely bypassing the people of Montana who currently have the right to vote for MT Supreme Court justices.
✅ HB 488 (Rep. Julie Darling)
HB 488 would have required the Secretary of State to implement a secure system for disabled voters to electronically return their ballots when voting.
❌ SB 42 (Sen. Daniel Emrich)
SB 42 would have required that justices campaign with a partisan label during elections instead of on a nonpartisan basis like they currently do.
❌ HB 838 (Rep. Brandon Ler)
HB 838 would have allowed only MT Supreme Court justices to run campaigns on a partisan basis.
❌ SB 543 (Sen. Wylie Galt)
SB 543 would have allowed only MT Supreme Court justices to run campaigns on a partisan basis.
