Week 5: Legislative Session Update
For this week ahead, we're hoping to see a floor vote on HB 245, carried by Rep. Ed Buttrey, which would reauthorize Medicaid Expansion AND remove the sunset clause, allowing nearly 80,000 Montanans to keep their healthcare. Additionally, we're seeing some exciting proactive bills around housing, childcare, and making Indigenous People's Day a legal holiday in the state of Montana.
We also can’t ignore the wave of harmful legislation coming our way. Just last week, three discriminatory, anti-trans bills moved through committee, and now a fourth is on the horizon. On top of that, we're seeing some alarming changes in criminal legal reform, with a policy proposal that would allow youth to be transferred to District Court instead of Youth Court—paving the way for harsher sentences and a justice system that continues to fail some of our most vulnerable.
Be sure to read more below about the bills we are tracking and how you can take action on the issues you care about.
In Solidarity,
Julia Maxon
Program Director
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
Housing & Cost of Living
✅ House Bill 311, carried by Rep. Kelly Kortum, would provide that landlords and property management companies must refund any rental application fees to the applicant if they did not give them a lease.This is an exciting bill that will limit the extreme fees that renters incur when trying to find housing. HB 311 also clarifies that landlords may subtract any out of pocket costs incurred such as paying for a credit check, but may not charge for their own labor hours.
House Bill 311 will be heard this Wednesday, Feb. 5th at 8 AM in the House Judiciary Committee (Room 137).
Any first-hand experiences with rental applications fees are needed -- please reach out to John at john@catalystmt.org if you're interested in testifying or pop into our office hours tomorrow night from 5-6 PM (info can be found above). You can also testify in-person at the capitol, the hearing will be held in Room 137.
✅ House Bill 305, carried by Rep. Jonathan Karlen, would provide a mobile home dispute program which provide a pathway for mobile home residents to remedy their complaints or violations. Mobile home owners have a very real interest in making sure their housing is secure, and this bill provides them with multiple ways to protect those interests. HB 277 would also allow mobile home residents to have the right of first refusal if the park would go up for sale.
House Bill 305 will also be heard this Wednesday, Feb. 5th at 8 AM in the House Judiciary Committee (Room 137).
Healthcare
✅ House Bill 245, carried by Rep. Ed Buttrey, passed out of committee and is now headed to the house floor! HB 245 as a reminder, would reauthorize Medicaid Expansion AND remove the sunset clause, which would remove the expiration date of the expansion program. This bill would allow nearly 80,000 Montanans to keep their healthcare. This bill keeps Montana healthy.
House Bill 245 will be heard this Wednesday, Feb. 5th at 1 PM on the House Floor
Childcare & Early Education
✅ House Bill 360, carried by Rep. Melissa Romano, would propose a program to distribute payments to licensed and registered child care facilities in order to improve wages and benefits for child care workers. Persistently low wages in child care have led to severe staff shortages and high turnover in child care facilities across the state. This bill would help childcare providers who struggle to hire and retain staff by helping provider childcare workers with a livable wage.
House Bill 360 will be heard this Thursday, February 6th at 3 PM in the House Human Services Committee (Room 152).
Any first-hand experiences working in child care are needed -- please reach out to Dillon at dillon@catalystmt.org if you're interested in testifying or pop into our office hours tomorrow night from 5-6 PM (info can be found above).
Indigenous Justice
✅ Senate Bill 224, carried by Sen. Shane Morigeau, would establish Indigenous's People's Day as a legal holiday in the state of Montana. This holiday would coincide with Columbus Day, and not replace the holiday.
Senate Bill 224 will be heard Wednesday, February 5th at 3 PM in the Senate State Admin Committee, (Room 335).
LGBTQ2S+ Rights
❌ Senate Bill 218, carried by Sen. John Fuller, would further criminalize health care providers by allowing someone to sue a provider for treatment of gender dysphoria dating back to 25 years ago.
Senate Bill 218 will be heard this Friday, February 7th in the Senate Judiciary Committee at 8 AM (Room 303).
❌ House Bill 121, carried by Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, would effectively ban trans people from using restrooms or public facilities that align with their gender identity.
HB 121 was heard last Thursday in the Senate Judiciary committee and will have executive action in that committee soon.
❌ Senate Bill 164, carried by Sen. John Fuller, would criminalize parents, caregivers, and medical providers who support children in accessing gender-affirming health care. SB 164 was heard last Monday in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and passed on a 6-3 vote.
❌ House Bill 300, also carried by Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, would effectively ban trans athletes from participating in sports in Montana public schools. House Bill 300 was heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Friday, and will see executive action soon, but in the meantime, call your Representative and let them know that you OPPOSE HB 300. The Capitol Switchboard can be reached at 406-444-4800 on weekdays from 7:30-5 PM. You can also submit a comment here.
Anti-White Nationalism/Extremism
❌ Senate Bill 114, carried by Sen. Bob Phalen, requires mandatory display of the religious text "The 10 Commandments" in all public school classrooms. This bill violates the establishment clause of the first amendment and makes no mention of the display of other religious texts, clearly signaling a preference of the Christian faith over all others.
Senate Bill 114 was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee and passed executive action on a 6-3 vote this past Friday. SB 114 will be heard on the Senate floor soon.
Criminal Legal
✅ Senate Bill 217, carried by Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, 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.
Senate Bill 217 will be heard this Friday, February 7th at 8 AM in the Senate Judiciary Committee (Room 303).
❌ House Bill 332, carried by Rep. Bill Mercer, adds eight new offenses for which youth can be transferred to and tried in District Court instead of Youth Court, and at least one of which applies to youth as young as 12 years old. HB 332 also allows for those youth to be held in adult detention facilities with only a "sight and sound separation" rather than an explicit "physical separation" from adults held in the same facility. Trying youth in District Court as adults exposes them to harsher sentencing that overlooks the fact that their brains are still developing and that they could be rehabilitated through treatment and programming designed for youth which is the point of Youth Court in the first place. Additionally, detaining youth in adult facilities will expose them to increased likelihood of sexual abuse.
House Bill 332 will be heard this Friday, February 7th at 8 AM in the Senate Judiciary Committee (Room 303).
