Toplines: The Culling of the Bills; Session Halftime
Wow! We are officially halfway through the 69th Montana Legislative Session and like the last few sessions, well, it’s been a lot. While the lows have been really low, from disgusting anti-trans bills to disparaging comments about young people and attacks on our impartial courts, we have seen a battery of bad bills. There have been a few glimmers here and there with a strong fight to see Medicaid continue as it currently exists, housing bills that could actually help renters, and a couple heroes who continue to fight for the next generation.
We know it’s been a long 9 weeks which is why it is important to rest and recharge over the transmittal break. We are so proud and grateful for everyone who has engaged with the session so far, whether at a rally, giving testimony, submitting written comments, or calling legislators- THANK YOU for showing up. ❤️
EVENTS AND GATHERINGS
Monday, March 10 from 6-7pm Wilson Hall, Bozeman- Come join the MSU FMT Club Meeting for community, crafts and civic engagement! We will meet in Wilson 2105 from 6-7pm every other Monday!
Tuesday, March 11th from 5-6:30pm at Studio Wheelhouse- We are partnering with Studio Wheelhouse to bring you a monthly Craft and Act event! Every second Tuesday of the month from 5-6:30pm, come to Wheelhouse to craft, build community, learn about current events, gain resources, and participate in calls to action.
Friday, March 14th from 11am-1pm at the UC Branch Center- UM Student Group meetings are a place to decompress, talk out strategies, and for organizers and activists of all different realms to come together to a political home, and be in solidarity and community!
Tuesday, March 18th from 6-7:30pm at the Headwaters Confluence Center join us in partnership with TransVisible Montana for our Queer Skillshare: Vision Boarding! Together, we will learn how to use vision boarding to help us clarify our goals as a community, envision success, stay motivated, and strengthen our focus through our art. What are your dreams as an LGBTQ+ Montanan? All supplies will be provided!
THE CULLING OF THE BILLS
We’ve reached the transmittal deadline – the day general bills cease to move if they have not met one criteria: successfully passing through one chamber to the next.
To truly appreciate the importance of this moment, let’s review how far we’ve come. Of the 4,440 bill draft requests, at least 1,400 received official bill numbers and hearing dates. Of those, over 250 bills were tabled in the past 47 days, and many more are now effectively ‘dead’ since failing to meet the transmittal deadline.
So what does this mean for the policies we are following? Well, here are a few highlights on bills that persist, and a few bills to which we can say ‘good riddance’!
HOUSING
One housing victory included Rep. Kelly Kortum’s HB 311, which would require landlords to reimburse any rental application fees that don’t lead to a rental agreement, saving renters hundreds of dollars! After being tabled in committee, Rep. Kortum successfully ‘blasted’ HB 311 to the House Floor, where it received overwhelming support (67-32). This is the only time this session that a tenant’s rights bill successfully landed a second hearing.
Unfortunately, Sen. Greg Hertz’s SB 336 passed through the Senate. This bill, which would restrict local government’s ability to regulate or prohibit short-term rentals in residential areas, received bipartisan support. With a housing crisis impacting many across our state, we are disappointed to see that some legislators support policy that undermines young people’s ability to find and afford stable housing.
CLIMATE
One of the biggest disappointments is the legislature’s rejections of any pro-climate action policy. Instead we are left with bills that seek to undermine our constitutional right to clean air and water, by placing restrictions on implementation of the Montana Environmental Policy Act. The two bills we continue to watch are HB 285 and SB 221, both of which undermine MEPA data collection and decision-making on environmental impacts of certain state projects – like the transport of fossil fuels across Montana counties.
LGBTQ RIGHTS
Feels like we talked about this issue A LOT over the last 9 weeks. But with over 20 bills that directly targeted the LGBTQ community, specifically trans youth, we couldn’t get through a week without hearing vitriolic talking points and outdated ideas.
This week saw three spectacular wins out of the House. First, HB 682 would have placed a 25-year statute of limitations for medical malpractice for ‘gender transition treatment’ – but then was successfully amended down to a 4-year statute of limitation. The sponsor lamented that the amendment effectively gutted his bill. Next, HB 675, this year’s drag ban bill, which the sponsor openly shared is really about targeting transgender people, failed to pass the House (45-55)!
And finally, HB 754 – a violent policy proposal that would have allowed for the removal of trans youth from their homes if their parents allowed them access to any kind of gender-affirming support. Representatives adamantly opposed this, with 71 voting against!
We are relieved to see these wins, and hope you take a moment to thank House reps for their votes! There are several anti-trans bills with House hearings after transmittal – including Sen Fuller’s SB 164 that criminalizes doctors and parents for supporting trans youth and Sen. Glimm’s SB 437 that tries (again) to define sex using narrow and discriminatory terms.
VOTING
We were so excited for two policies that would have improved voting access across the state: SB 8 online voter registration and SB 220 Native American Voting Rights Act. But instead of expanding or supporting voter engagement, our legislature has chosen the path of disenfranchisement.
Our ire is towards three bills in particular. First, HB 395 – this bill would establish the definition of ‘unsound mind’ in our law, and would undermine the voting rights of disabled people. The second, HB 413, would prohibit students and anyone in the state on a ‘temporary’ status from registering to vote, unless they can prove that they will make Montana their permanent home. And finally, SB 490 would tamper with same-day voter registration, prohibiting registration after noon on Election Day.
JUDICIAL ATTACKS
The session started with strong anti-judiciary vibes – and it seems those vibes will continue past transmittal break. We had over 30 bills this session to undermine our impartial judiciary. While we enjoyed the demise of HB 295 and HB 751, both of which would have required judicial candidates to claim a political party, we still have at least one bill moving that seeks to politicize our judicial elections: SB 42.
In addition, we also have SB 385, which would create a new court of judges hand-picked by the governor to oversee certain cases – like constitutional challenge lawsuits.
For more details on what bills our team is still tracking, check out our bill tracker!
SESSION HALFTIME
So, what happens now? Well, legislators will take March 8-13 off from the Capitol, hopefully taking the time to rest, be with their families, and recover from the exhausting agenda of the past week.
According to the Montana Legislative session calendar, the legislative session is back to work on Friday, March 14th. Hearings aren’t over yet – with some bills already receiving dates for their next debate.
The legislative session is slated to last 90 days, so we still have work to do to fight bad policies and pass legislation that invests in housing solutions and economic stability for communities. We hope you take the next week to rest and recover from the first half of the session – and join us March 17th as we continue advocating for a better future for young Montanans!
Have questions about the session? Send us a message at hello@forwardmontana.org. We will take time next week to answer any submissions!
Hero of the Week- Sen. Mike Yakawich (R-Billings)
It might be the lack of sleep, but one senator this week had us crying at our desks.
Remember SB 369, which would expand suicide prevention in schools? The bill was voted out of committee and had a floor debate on Wednesday.
Obviously, this type of legislation is important, but in the debate, one senator vocalized his doubts about prevention resources, hypothesizing that the more we talk about this, the more likely youth may be to engage in suicidal thoughts or behavior.
Senator Mike Yakawich (R-Billings), the sponsor of the bill, used these comments as an educational opportunity for his peers and anyone who happened to be listening. He called out these bad faith comments for what they are – stigma. With earnest compassion, Sen. Yakawich explained how stigma actively prevents young people from seeking help during their mental health struggles.
He shared data and personal experiences of how important it is to check-in with youth about their mental health – demonstrating that we should not be afraid to talk to young people about this topic. And at one point, he declared that talking to a counselor or psychiatrist is something to be proud of because seeking support is an essential, not shameful, action.
Removing stigma saves lives. Thank you to our Hero of the Week, Sen. Mike Yakawich. ❤️
Villain of the Week- Sen. Bob Phalen (R- Lindsay)
Certain conservatives have really chosen to make anti-LGBTQ ideology a foundational part of their work this session. Our team saw this week just how far legislators will go to undermine the progress we’ve made.
Last week we mentioned SJ 15, a joint resolution calling to overturn the ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.
If this wasn’t abhorrent enough, the sponsor Senator Bob Phalen brought a collective gasp to the crowd that showed up to oppose this bill. After over an hour of opponent testimony. Sen. Phalen refused to back down from his hateful rhetoric. Instead, he chose to expound on the ‘anglo-American legal tradition’ and his outdated ideas on the sanctity of marriage, at one point declaring the United States Supreme Court overstepped its bounds and should ‘re-look at what they’ve done’.
He compared the unnaturalness of queer relationships to shoving a straw up your nose to drink, and said that redefining marriage has hurt children in our state. Those are words we think are appropriate to re-share, as his closing remarks were a string of bigoted comments, only made better by the disgust and snarls from community members still in the audience and the multiple objections from Vice Chair Sen. Andrea Olsen.
Not even the anti-LGBTQ Senate Judiciary committee cared for his ideas and voted to table SJ 15. We kindly ask that Sen. Bob Phalen, our Villain of the Week, keep his opinions on the LGBTQ community to himself from now on.