Week 8: Legislative Session Update
How is it already the last week of February? This legislative session is flying by.
House Bill 245, a bill reauthorizing Montana Medicaid, passed out of Senate Public Health, Welfare, and Safety and was concurred in second reading in the Senate with a 29-21 vote! Once passed, this will allow over 80,000 Montanans to keep their access to health care! HB 245 heads to Senate Finance and Claims this week - and still needs YOUR support! Please submit public comment in support here.
House Bill 475, a bill prohibiting the use of restraints on pregnant people during labor and delivery (with two exceptions), passed out of House Judiciary and was heard on the House Floor today (Monday, February 24th). Montanans, including justice-involved Montanans, deserve dignity while giving birth -- and this bill gets us one step closer to realizing that! Join us tomorrow (Tuesday, February 25th) to contact friends & neighbors about this bill during our semi-weekly phone bank.
With two weeks until transmittal, which will take place March 8 through 13, we want to say THANK YOU for taking action with us this session!
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
Health Care
❌ Senate Bill 334, sponsored by Sen. Matt Regier, would create more conditions and requirements to be eligible for Medicaid including biannual eligibility redeterminations, limits on length of benefits, and suspension of automatic renewals. Participants would have to pay premiums based on their income with potential increases over time, and could face disenrollment for non-payment. This bill puts barriers on economically vulnerable Montanans to access health care.
97% of folks who access their healthcare through Medicaid Expansion are working or have a legitimate reason to not be working full-time, such as going to school or caretaking for a loved one. SB334 would potentially kick thousands of people with a valid reason for not working full-time off their healthcare.
Senate Bill 334 will be heard in Senate Public Health, Welfare, and Safety this Wednesday, February 26th at 3 PM in Room 317.
Please sign-up to testify and contact your Senator to let them know that you OPPOSE SB334. Here are some helpful talking points from our friends at Montana Budget and Policy Center.
LGBTQ+ Rights
❌ House Bill 300, carried by Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, 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. House Bill 300 will likely be heard on the Senate Floor this week. Please contact your Senators asking them to OPPOSE HB 300.
Whether you are a student athlete, teacher, professor, coach, or administrator we need your help in order to protect trans student athletes of all ages from facing discrimination. Please also add your name to this letter opposing HB 300!
❌ House Bill 446, carried by Rep. Jed Hinkle, would update the laws on indecent exposure -- allowing anyone to claim their 'dignity' has been violated if they find themselves in a bathroom with someone whom they believe to be trans. House Bill 446 will likely be heard on the House Floor this week. Call your Representative to let them know that you OPPOSE HB 446.
Criminal Legal
❌ House Bill 540, carried by Rep. Steven Kelly, allows for the Department of Corrections to contract with private, for-profit corporations to create pre-release centers, treatment centers, and residential methamphetamine treatment programs.
For-profit corporations involved in the criminal legal system prioritize profit over the best interests of justice-involved individuals, and have an incentive to increase incarceration rates in order to further maximize profits. What's more, 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. We don't want our taxpayer dollars going to for-profit corporations that have a history of failing to meet the needs of Montanans involved with the criminal legal system.
House Bill 540 was heard in House Judiciary on Monday, February 24th. Call your Representative and the House Judiciary Committee to let them know that you OPPOSE HB 540.
❌ House Bill 578, carried by Rep. Bill Mercer, seeks to remove considerations of a person's financial resources when determining restitution amounts they will owe. The bill's stated aim is to ensure that restitution amounts are determined during sentencing without regard to the offender's ability to pay, and emphasizes that restitution should focus on the victim's actual losses rather than the offender's financial capacity.
Removing the requirement that allows a judge to consider ability to pay when assigning restitution will saddle low-income folks with unpayable court debts that will further trap them in cycles of poverty and incarceration.
House Bill 540 will be heard this Tuesday, February 25th at 7 AM in the House Judiciary Committee (Room 137.) Charging low-income people restitution that they are unable to pay will trap folks in cycles of poverty and incarceration. Call your Representative and the House Judiciary Committee to let them know that you OPPOSE HB 540.
Pro-Democracy & Voting Rights
✅ Senate Bill 220, carried by Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, would strengthen access to voting in Indian Country in Montana. SB 220 would require at least one permanent satellite office on each reservation in Montana, determined by each tribe in consultation with county officials, requires precinct polling place notices to include locations in Indian Country and authorizes the use of nontraditional addresses as an elector's residential address for the purpose of voter registration. Senate Bill 220 was heard February 17th at 3 PM in the Senate State Admin Committee. Call your Senator and the Senate State Admin Committee and ask them to SUPPORT SB 220.
❌ House Bill 506, carried by Rep. Brad Barker, would propose a constitutional amendment taking away the right of Montanans to vote for our MT State Supreme Court justices and instead giving that power to the Governor. HB 506 would limit Montanans' longstanding right to vote for our highest elected officials and creates a partisan process for selecting MT Supreme Court justices who we believe should stay nonpartisan and independent from the political games of partisan offices. House Bill 506 was heard February 20th at 8 AM in the House Judiciary Committee. Call your Representative and the House Judiciary Committee and ask them to OPPOSE HB 506.
Extremism
❌ House Bill 635 sponsored by George Nikolakakos, would prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in Montana's state and local government agencies by restricting their ability to require, fund, or support such initiatives. Specifically, government agencies would be banned from requiring employees to participate in DEI programs, spending public funds on these programs, purchasing services or goods related to DEI, or establishing offices or positions dedicated to DEI efforts. This bill aims to limit discussions and trainings about systemic discrimination, privilege, and social justice in government workplaces and institutions, including the Montana University System and other institutions that have publicly committed themselves to diversity and inclusion. This bill will be heard by the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, February 27th at 7:00AM. Call your Representative and the House Judiciary Committee and ask them to OPPOSE HB 635.
Economic Justice
✅ House Bill 484, carried by Rep. Kelly Kortum, would revise Montana's minimum wage laws by increasing the state minimum wage from $6.15 to $12.06 per hour, removing the lower $4 minimum wage rate for smaller businesses with annual gross sales of $110,000 or less. The new minimum wage rate will still exclude the value of tips and special training wage provisions, and will be set at the higher of either the state-specified rate or the federal Fair Labor Standards Act minimum wage. The changes will take effect on July 1, 2025, which means that businesses across Montana will be required to pay all employees at least $12.06 per hour, regardless of the business's size or annual gross sales, representing a significant increase in the state's wage floor to help support workers' economic well-being. House Bill 484 will be heard in the House Business and Labor Committee next Monday, February 24th at 8 AM in Room 303. Please sign-up to testify and contact your Representatives asking them to SUPPORT HB 484.
If you have a story about how this bill would impact you, please reach out to Dillon at dillon@catalystmt.org. If you're interested in testifying, you can also pop into our office hours tomorrow night from 5-6 PM (info can be found above).
Housing & Cost of Living
✅ House Bill 154, carried by Rep. Jonathan Karlen, is a targeted bill that will provide a needed tax credit to working home owners AND renters, because renters pay property taxes as a pass-through fee in their rent.
There are a lot of tax bills moving this session, and we love this one because it is targeted in impact and will bring progressive and useful relief quickly.
House Bill 154 passed in House Appropriation on February 21st and will be heard on the House floor shortly. Working Montana homeowners and renters need tax relief that is targeted and supportive. Please contact your Representatives to let them know that you SUPPORT HB 154.
Indigenous Justice
✅ Senate Bill 147, carried by Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, will revise Montana's Indian Child Welfare laws and strengthen protections for Indigenous children and their families, aiming to preserve cultural connection during child welfare matters.
Senate Bill 147 was blasted to the Senate Floor after being tabled in Senate Public Health, Welfare, and Safety and is scheduled for a third reading tomorrow, February 25th. Please contact your Representatives to let them know that you SUPPORT SB 147
