Author: Dara Deines

What the Helena Issue #8 February 24th-28th

Posted on by Dara Deines

Toplines: The Pre-Transmittal Frenzy; Up Next in Attacks to the Judiciary; Plus, Watch List + Wins  

Events, Rallies and Gatherings

Saturday, March 8th from 3-5pm – Join our partners at Empower MT will be holding a LGBTQ+ Teen Clothing Swamp at the Center in Missoula. 

Monday, March 10 from 6-7pm PM 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.

The Pre-Transmittal Frenzy

If you are casually following along with the legislative happenings, after this week you may be wondering: wtf just happened?!

Starting at 8am on Monday morning and going through Saturday evening, the 8th week at the legislature was an avalanche of initial bill hearings, long hours in committee, and fast-tracked votes, as legislators scramble to get their bills passed from one chamber to the next before March 7th. 

This transmittal deadline loomed over the week, as some committees met as early as 7am, hearing and discussing over a dozen bills. In total, legislators heard over 480 bills this week, up from 230 from the previous week and 170 during the last week in January (a month ago). 

Rapid fire hearings lead to some frustrating results – like when Senate Judiciary chair Sen. Barry Usher pushed a vote on a tenants right’s bill SB 421 only hours after its initial hearing – ending any further public engagement, resulting in a party-line vote to table the bill. 

We anticipate next week’s legislative schedules to be as packed with last-minute hearings and quick decisions. Pace yourself – as we speed towards March 7th, the days might get long as floor agendas fill with last attempts to keep bills alive. Follow along with our bill tracker as we diligently work to keep the community up-to-date through the frenzy. 

Up Next in Attacks to the Judiciary

After weeks of waiting, we finally have some updates on the anti-judiciary bills that are attempting to make judicial elections partisan. 

Since 1935, Montana’s judicial elections have been nonpartisan. This means that political parties cannot endorse or contribute to them. A nonpartisan judicial system ensures that judicial races remain impartial and protected from the interference of partisan politics. Courts managed by nonpartisan judges uphold the values of fairness and rule of law in the courtroom when deciding criminal, civil, and constitutional cases. 

In early February we watched hearings for SB 42 and HB 295, both of which would force judicial candidates to claim a political party affiliation and open the floodgates for partisan money to influence these elections. These bills had their floor debates this week, with mixed results. While we watched some conservatives misrepresented our judicial system by claiming Montana already has partisan elections of judges and calling out advocacy groups by name for voter engagement from the 2024 MT Supreme Court Justice races. 

Only the Senate voted in favor of these judicial attacks, with 29 Senators voting yes to move SB 42 on to a House committee hearing, which will likely be held after transmittal break (March 7-13). In the House, representatives rejected HB 295 with 53 voting against it. Shout out to the 15 Republicans and over 70 Democrats voting to protect our impartial judicial system! 🥳

There are two more anti-judiciary bills headed our way in the next week. One, HB 506, would change the Montana Constitution to remove Montana Supreme Court elections entirely, instead giving the power to the governor and a nomination committee to appoint members of the Montana Supreme Court. This bill had a hearing last week in the House Judiciary, and is anticipated to pass through to the floor for debate.

Reminder: bills to amend our Montana Constitution require ⅔ vote to pass through each chamber – this means 67 Representatives will have to vote for it to move on to the Senate. Feel free to message your representatives to confirm they will be voting NO on HB 506. 

Finally, we are watching a sleeper bill draft, LC 2372 requested by Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick. Draft language indicates that this bill would allow for Montana Supreme Court Justice candidates to indicate a political party affiliation. 

Damn, some legislators really aren’t getting it: the majority of  Montanans support an impartial judiciary. 

WATCH LIST & WINS

What we are closely watching…

Good bills

Good bills

While awaiting a hearing on another bill, we were excited to learn about SB 369, which would strengthen suicide prevention training and education in schools. As one FMT organizer shared, with all the awful bills that legislators are pushing to ‘protect kids’, this is the first we’ve heard that actually would accomplish this. Please contact senators and tell them to vote YES on SB 369. 

Finally, another good housing policy is on the House floor for debate. HB 492, would rein in unnecessary parking mandates for new builds, costing money to landlords which get passed along to renters, accounting for around 17% of a tenant’s rent – that’s $200-$300! This bill will be heard Saturday, March 1 on the House floor. We will update you in next week’s edition where HB 492 goes.

Bad bills

SB 490 had a hearing on Saturday, March 1st in the Senate Judiciary. This bill would limit same-day voter registration and disenfranchise Montanans – disproportionately impacting students, rural voters, seniors, and working families. Interfering with same-day voter registration has already been ruled unconstitutional by Montana courts. Send a message to the Senate and tell them to vote NO on SB 490. 

Another bill we’re tracking is SJ 15. This bill is a joint resolution, which is a formal proposal requiring approval from both legislative chambers (i.e. the Senate and the House) – often used to express the legislature’s stance on an issue or make certain official declarations. And in Montana, joint resolutions do not require the governor’s signature.

Why bring it up now, out of 400+ bills in week 8 of the legislature? Do we have a doozy for you. SJ 15 would formally declare that the US Supreme Court must reverse the Obergfell v. Hodges ruling: the landmark case that legalized same sex marriage, which would set us back a decade of progress. SJ 15 has a hearing in the Senate Judiciary on March 3rd at 7am. This is not an issue of states rights but it discriminatory, an overreach and the last thing we need from our legislature.

A disappointing loss…

We were devastated to see the Senate Natural Resource committee table SB 294 on Thursday. This bill, from Sen. Andrea Olsen (D-Missoula) would have required public utilities to create a plan and timeline for how to move towards 100% renewables. Thank you to everyone who called or messaged senators about this bill! We know it is disappointing, and we will continue fighting to ensure legislators understand how important this issue is to Montana’s future. 

Some wins!

In the deluge of bills from this week, there were two immediate losers from last week’s villain Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe: HB 555, which spread false information that medication abortion is in our water and harming our environment; and HB 609. which would have created the new crime of ‘abortion trafficking’. 

During both hearings, the sponsor and proponents looked absolutely foolish attempting to make their case for suddenly caring about our right to clean water and the importance of criminalizing patients and providers, by presenting made-up scenarios that only exist in pro-life advocates imaginations. Both bills were tabled in committee. We are pleased to see that legislators are ready to accept reality: Abortion is Legal. 

Hero of the Week- Rep. SJ Howell (D- Missoula)

Don’t judge us for making another Medicaid champion our hero this week. As we watched Saturday’s floor session, we were shocked to learn that a person on Medicaid gets kicked off their health insurance if they have a temporary change in their monthly income – and then have to reapply once their pay inevitably lowers.

Unlike with private health insurance we can get through the ACA, individuals on Medicaid are expected to report any changes to their income – if they don’t, they risk being disenrolled 

This is why, Rep. SJ Howell (D-Missoula) is sponsoring HB 386, which would allow Medicaid recipients to enjoy 12 months uninterrupted coverage! And, Rep. Howell isn’t stopping there. In HB 601, they are asking the state to create a Medicaid portal, which would expand support for Medicaid applicants and enrollees across the state. 

In a true bipartisanship, Rep. SJ Howell has worked with Republicans to get HB 386 and HB 601 passed through committee, with continuous eligibility passing its first House Floor vote 53-47! We are obsessed with affordable health care and appreciate that our hero Rep. SJ Howell is, too. 

Want to help these two bills get out of the House before March 7th? Call the Switchboard at 406-444-4800 and leave a message for House representatives: Vote YES on HB 386 and HB 601! 

Villain of the Week- Rep. Caleb Hinkle (R- Belgrade)

To be honest, with so many hearings, we were overwhelmed with options this week. From Rep. Kelly (R- Kalispell) disparaging folks who are struggling economically, to legislators debating bill after bill that attack our voting rights. 

After hours of committee and house discussions, it was the vile words that crawled from the mouth of this week’s villain that had us in disbelief. Rep. Caleb Hinkle stood in front of the House Judiciary on Friday morning and used his time at the mic to spit gross and offensive lies, backed only by his own hateful ideology. 

Rep. Hinkle (R-Belgrade), when closing on HB 675 – this year’s drag ban bill – chose to use such violent and hateful language against the transgender and intersex communities, we are tempted to make Chair Amy Regier (R-Kalispell) his villain sidekick for how she allowed such contemptuous garbage onto the record. 

Rep. Hinkle invoked malicious and offensive stereotypes about transgender people, and it has us declaring: enough is enough. Comments like these cannot be allowed to stand. Rep. Hinkle’s disgust for transgender people is only matched by our disgust for his hateful beliefs. It is for these remarks that Rep. Caleb Hinkle is our villain of the week. 

What The Helena #7 February 17th-21st

Posted on by Dara Deines

Toplines: Session Vibe Check; Hands off our Voting Rights; Watch List +Wins 

Events, Rallies and Gatherings

Forward Montana legislative team will have our final zoom event next week. We’ll walk you through what’s happening at the Legislature around housing policy, share how to give public comment, and answer any questions you have about the session! Join us on Thursday, Feb 27th at 6pm for our Housing issues session with Sage, our Housing and Voter Engagement Organizer

Forward Montana legislative team will have our final zoom event next week. We’ll walk you through what’s happening at the Legislature around housing policy, share how to give public comment, and answer any questions you have about the session! Join us on Thursday, Feb 27th at 6pm for our Housing issues session with Sage, our Housing and Voter Engagement Organizer

Join the MSU Forward Montana club for community, crafts and civic engagement! We will meet MSU Bozeman in Wilson 2105 Monday, February 24 at 6pm to 7pm. Sign up here! Can’t make it the 24th? We meet every other Monday! Join us another time 😊 

Join Forward Montana for a Bozeman Black History Month Celebration at The Cultured Community Center, Tuesday, February 25 at 5:30 to 7pm. Come join us as we learn about the history and significance of quilting in the African American community! We will end the evening with an update from the legislative session and how the community can get involved! 

Join Forward Montana and Queer Bozeman Saturday, March 1st 12:30-2:30PM at Bozeman Public Library (virtual option available!) for an informative session and panel discussion on how you can find your power during this uncertain and challenging Montana legislative session. RSVP here

Session Vibe Check

As previously mentioned in Jan.11 and Feb. 7 blogs, the senate this session has had some tense moments in debates about leadership, rules, and ethics. We saw the next chapter in this political tension unroll at the beginning of this seventh week. 

In an evening session on Monday, one senator released a legion of motions into the mic, which had the floor in debate for over three hours. What is a motion? A motion occurs when a legislator asks for a vote on a procedural action – moving a bill around, re-doing a bill vote, or shifting the make-up of a committee – but in each instance, a motion requires floor debate and a vote from the chamber. 

Senator Josh Kassmier (R-Fort Benton) stood on Monday and began the slew of motions with a request to change the committee placement for three other senators. Despite pointed objections from the Majority Leader, this motion passed 27-23. 

And that is the vote that held for motion after motion, as senators painfully processed over 21 procedural votes to shift committee members and move bills into Senate committees that had previously been held up in the process. Senators demonstrated all 5 stages of grief as they coped with this long list of motions – from jokes into the mic to calling each other out, a small section of conservatives decided against professionalism. 

The tension isn’t only in the Senate these days. On Wednesday, the House chamber debated HB 371 from Rep. Kmetz, which would ban the use of mRNA vaccines (like Covid vaccines). Some conservatives stood to spread misinformation about vaccines, using time at the mic to say such ludicrous statements like mRNA vaccines can be spread person-to-person through saliva or that almost 30% of youth experience heart damage after vaccination. We were heartened to see the representatives reject these falsehoods. Legislators from both parties stood to oppose this bill, which ultimately failed 34-66 – that is 24 Republicans and 42 Democrats voting in favor of keeping our communities safe! 

Clearly, Republicans are not a monolith – with some Republican legislators still willing to respect their oath to serve, even while extreme conservatives yell down at their colleagues and throw temper tantrums during floor debates. 

As of Friday, Feb. 21, legislators only have 10 days left to get general policy bills introduced, have their first hearing, and get transferred to the next chamber, before they die in the process. The transmittal deadline is March 6th. We are anxious to see how legislators prioritize important bills on housing, climate, and education. 

Hands Off Our Voting Rights 

We know that there are barriers to voting access in our state – which is why we are so annoyed that legislators are bringing bills to undermine that further. 

Let’s start with HB 413, which would revise election laws regarding residency and is 100% voter suppression. This bill would change the current eligibility laws and ban certain individuals from registering to vote. It states that out-of-state college students, military trainees in Montana, and temporary workers in the state do not have equal rights to vote in state elections. 

For reference, residency is currently established after someone lives 30 days in the state, but according to the sponsor and proponents, if students and temporary workers haven’t decided yet to make Montana their forever home, they shouldn’t be allowed to influence local and state elections. 

Next, HB 410, which would require a minimum expectation of voter turnout in local elections for bonds and levies. Why is this nefarious? If a bond or levy is on the ballot and receives support from voters but voter turnout doesn’t reach 35%, then it doesn’t pass, dismissing the validity of the votes cast. Is voter turnout in local elections a struggle? Absolutely. Does this bill seek to support voter outreach? No. Does this bill seek to disenfranchise voters? 100%, which is why it is despicable. 

This undermining of elections has been a session-long push, with some conservatives, specifically those from the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform, attempting to undermine our impartial judiciary by pushing for partisan elections of judges with bills like SB 42 and HB 295. But we were pleasantly shocked this week, when Chief Justice Cory Swanson, in his address to the full legislature on Monday, called for judicial elections to remain nonpartisan! 🎉

Both SB 42 and HB 295 passed through their first committees but have yet to appear on agendas for full floor debates, we wait to see how this proclamation will influence decision-makers on these partisan policies.

Finally, we are disappointed to share that HB 395 passed through committee this week. This bill  threatens to disenfranchise thousands of voters, specifically individuals living with disabilities or brain injuries. It is on the House floor for debate on Saturday Feb. 22nd. We will update you next week on where it goes from here.

Let’s end with a gem: SB 220, the Native American Voting Rights Act. This bill was introduced by Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy and had its first hearing on Monday. We couldn’t hold back our excitement during testimony because this bill would do so much to expand voting access in our state – and to communities that were previously targeted by voter suppression tactics. 

SB 220 would establish permanent satellite elections offices on each of the seven reservations within the state. Not only that, it would support more folks’ eligibility to register and vote by accepting nontraditional addresses, allowing the acceptance of tribal IDs, and increasing the number of ballot boxes in rural reservation communities. 

We must have everyone fighting to get this bill passed. Call or message Senators and tell them that they must get SB 220 passed through the Senate. Find your Senator here and leave a message here! 

WATCH LIST & WINS

What we are closely watching…

Good bill

HB 484 from Rep. Kelly Kortum (D-Bozeman) would revise Montana’s minimum wage laws by increasing the state minimum wage from $6.15 to $12.06 per hour! This bill has its first hearing in House Business and Labor on Monday, February 24th at 8am. Sign up to give testimony or submit comments to the committee this weekend! 

Bad bills

SB 299 from Sen. John Fuller (R-Kalispell) would mandate that school districts must alert and gain consent from parents to discuss related to sex education, including gender identity. Sen. Fuller claims that teachers and guidance counselors are tearing families apart by pushing students to keep secrets from their parents. We think Sen. Fuller should stop targeting trans youth and the people who support them. Message legislators on Senate Education and tell them to vote NO on SB 299. 

HB 446 from Rep. Jedediah Hinkle (R-Belgrade) would update the laws on indecent exposure, allowing anyone to claim their ‘dignity’ has been violated if they encounter a transgender person in a public changing room. During committee debate, conservative legislators shared that public spaces require further regulation because of the ‘threat’ transgender people pose to other people in the community. This bill heads to the House floor and we need every Representative to hear that this bill is violent towards trans people. Tell representatives to vote no on HB 446.

HB 400 from Rep. Braxton Mitchell (R-Columbia Falls) would legally protect anti-trans behavior in public schools and agencies – and most notably includes language around the definition of sex that a Missoula District Court judge ruled on Tuesday is unconstitutional. The House floor debate contained the same repeated hateful remarks against trans people. We are so grateful to Reps. Howell, Stafman, Zephyr, Romano, and Powers who stood and raised their voices in defense of trans youth. 

And a win!

We forgot to share a win with you from two weeks ago: SB 210, which would have removed the requirement for a student regent on the board of regents, was tabled in committee! So glad legislators agreed that this bill would undermine youth voices and access to decision making.

Hero of the Week- Sen. Jacinda Morigeau (D- Arlee)

We know that engaging in the legislative session for most of us is inconvenient and confusing. Hearing times fluctuate, the bills are confusing, what is even happening with the online portal, etc. And this results in bill hearings without essential voices in the room. 

At the hearing for SB 299, a bill claiming to protect youth from certain school subjects (see above), we saw testimony mostly came from people well past their youth. While we understand that parents want to know what their children are learning about, we also believe it is vitally important for young people to have their voices centered in the discussion.

Which leads us to our Hero of the Week: Senator Jacinda Morigeau who pushed back against Sen. Fuller’s ‘protect the children’ rhetoric during questions from the committee. She called out how the bill undermines youth rights, and got Sen. Fuller on the record saying that he cares more about upholding his idea of traditional family values than the rights of youth in Montana. 

In a room full of people who, one conservative legislator described as people who may not remember what it was like to be a youth, Sen. Morigeau refused to back down as she questioned the legal and moral validity of this type of legislation. 

And this isn’t the first time we’ve seen that Sen. Morigeau has our backs. In other bills, she has pointed out how the policy will impact young people across our state. We are so grateful for how Sen. Morigeau continues to uplift the power and importance of youth. 

Villain of the Week- Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe (R-Billings)

We know y’all have been waiting for this one – so you won’t be shocked to see that this week’s villain is Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe. 

Unusual fashion choices aside, what we find most disgusting about this legislator’s actions is her insistence at being the face of the anti-trans movement in the Capitol building, tied only with Senator Fuller in the number of anti-trans bills introduced. She also takes every opportunity to spew hatred and misinformation into the microphone to alienate and disparage transgender and intersex people in our communities. 

On Thursday, she set an indignant tone during her opening for HB 300 during the Senate Judiciary hearing, claiming that she was there to support the ‘biological reality’ that men’s bodies are just bigger, better, and stronger than women’s bodies – which has us questioning whether she really is the best advocate for women’s equality. 

During the afternoon floor debate on HB 400, the bill that would prohibit public schools and agencies from implementing policies to protect LGBTQ individuals, Rep. Seekins-Crowe stood to share her views on the importance of protecting (cis) women and children from transgender ‘ideology’. 

We have spent weeks listening to her irate speeches, and were finally pushed over the edge when she decided to champion a bill that would expand the criminal code and focus on criminalizing individuals who seek abortions, or as the bills calls it: abortion trafficking. Through HB 609, patients and those who support them in accessing care could be criminally charged and possibly incarcerated, if the patient receives an illegal abortion. This bill has a hearing next Wednesday, February 26th. Please join us by testifying against this unconstitutional nonsense.

Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe may claim to be an advocate for women, but she is working hard to undermine the power and rights of everyone, including cisgender women. And for this reason, she is our villain of the week. 

What The Helena #6 February 10th-14th

Posted on by Dara Deines

Toplines: Slate of Hate, Republicans Attack MEPA, Big Things Coming Our Way; Plus our Watchlist + Wins 

Events, Rallies and Gatherings

Forward Montana legislative team will be hosting a series of zoom events. We’ll walk you through what’s happening at the Legislature around LGBTQ+ Rights, Reproductive Rights and Housing! 

Stand with us to protect our access, our wildlife, and our freedom to enjoy our way of life. Public Lands Rally February 19th 12-1PM at the Capitol Rotunda Helena. 

Join us at Shine for a Housing Happy Hour to talk about how we can build the most affordable, sustainable, and accessible future in Bozeman. February 20th from 5:30-7PM Shine Beer Sanctuary

Join us in Missoula on February 24th from 6-7:30PM at the Center for our first Stitch and Bitch of the year! Bring your current project while you gather in an environment of support, create community, and build collective power through arts n’ crafts! A hodgepodge of embroidery, knit/crochet, and collage supplies will be available.

SLATE OF HATE

We continue to face disgusting and misinformed anti-trans bills this session. We think we speak for every trans person when we say: it is time to address our housing crisis, rather than sit through another hearing full of obtuse and witless people debate trans rights. 

Conservative talking head Rep. Braxton Mitchell (R-Columbia Falls) is pushing HB 400, which would prevent public institutions (e.g. public schools, public libraries, etc) from protecting students and employees from anti-trans discrimination. If this sounds familiar, it is because this bill builds off last session’s HB 361 – which made it law that misgendering and deadnaming students is not legally discriminatory behavior. So much for keeping youth safe. 

Now, HB 400 would expand this to prohibit public institutions and agencies from implementing policies that would prevent this type of discriminatory behavior. *Sigh* For a party obsessed with ‘protecting’ children, they continue to demonstrate they are committed to harming transgender youth – and adults.  

Committee Republicans threw bad faith questions at opponents, which included backhanded insults when allies to transgender students didn’t fall for Republicans’ ‘gotcha’ questions.

As we prepared for HB 400, we saw Rep. Jedidiah Hinkle (R-Belgrade) has introduced a violent piece of legislation focused on continuing his obsession with other people’s genitalia. HB 446 would update the laws on indecent exposure – allowing anyone to claim their ‘dignity’ has been violated if they find themselves in a bathroom or changing room with someone who they believe to be a transgender individual. 

The bill depends on someone seeing another person’s genitalia and deeming it out of compliance with what they think their bits should look like. Our dignity is violated just typing that sentence out. 😞

The reason we think this bill is violent? It would open transgender people up to criminal penalties, including incarceration – a threat to the economic stability of trans people and their families. We’ve heard that Republicans cannot handle learning about and respecting the diversity of our communities. But that doesn’t give them the right to undermine people’s safety. No one has that right. 

Have you ever shared a bathroom or changing room with a transgender person without issue or complaint? Our legislators need to hear from you! 

HB 446 has a hearing on Monday, February 17th at 8am in the House Judiciary Committee. Sign up to testify and share your story about how simple and easy it is to share spaces with transgender individuals! 

Republicans attack MEPA

It was a rough week for climate policy. Take a breath of clean air, while we still can. Let’s talk about MEPA. What is it? The Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) has been in Montana law for over 50 years, and it requires that government projects receive environmental reviews to determine any impacts this project may have. 

And in case you haven’t been following along in this climate fight, MEPA is an especially hot topic because of a landmark Montana Supreme Court decision last year – that affirmed that MEPA is essential to uphold our constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. The court also said that limitations to MEPA would be unconstitutional. 

Yet, we watched senators debate SB 221 from Sen. Trebas, which would significantly limit the environmental analysis under MEPA by narrowly defining what is considered a fossil fuel activity requiring a greenhouse gas emissions analysis. This is exactly what the courts said is inappropriate limitations on MEPA. In a devastating bi-partisan vote of 37-13, this bill passed through the vote on the Senate floor – and will now head to the House. 

It wasn’t any better in the House. On Wednesday, February 12, representatives heard two different bills to undermine our constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment.

First, HB 285 to eliminate MEPA as a mechanism to implement the Right to a Clean and Healthful Environment. It would repeal language that says MEPA is supposed to prevent harm and remove the requirement that we should consider the long-term productivity and health of the land when considering the long-term impacts of the project. This bill passed through the House floor on a party-line vote.  

A second bill, HB 291, would prohibit the state from regulating greenhouse gas and other air pollutants, unless the federal government does it first. If you didn’t know, our Montana constitution has stronger protections for maintaining a healthy environment. We watched in dismay as Democrats joined Republicans to vote in support of undermining our ability to regulate what pollutants get released into our beautiful Big Sky. HB 291 passed through the House floor and will receive a hearing in the Senate soon. 

To uplift what we heard in Rep. Karlen’s response to this set of anti-climate bills: what MEPA does is collect information. We should collect the information we need before making decisions that have permanent impacts on our land, on our water. And this must include information about impacts on the climate. Collecting information helps to make an informed decision. 

Big Things Coming Our Way

There are two big bills that will be heard on Monday, February 17th. 

In the Senate State Administration, Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy will present on SB 220, which will establish permanent satellite elections offices and enable the use of non-traditional addresses, allowing for more eligible voters on reservations and in rural Native American communities to have equitable access to voting infrastructure.

HB 245 will receive its hearing in the Senate Public Health Committee. As a reminder, HB 245 is the bill that removes the sunset date on Medicaid programs, ensuring these essential programs continue. If you haven’t yet, share your Medicaid story here. 

Watchlist & wins

Bad bills still moving:

HB 395, which would undermine the voting rights for individuals with disabilities, brain injuries, or cognitive decline. This bill would disenfranchise thousands of Montana voters. Learn more at Disability Rights Montana. Contact the House State Admin committee and tell them to vote NO on HB 395. 

SB 101, which would undermine the judicial eviction process and allow landlords to call law enforcement to remove a tenant from a property, is still in the House Business and Labor committee. Please contact representatives on that committee and tell them to vote NO on SB 101. 

Good bills still moving:

SB 224 would create a statewide Indigenous Peoples Day, a simple and straightforward bill that at its core aims to celebrate and honor the past, present, and futures of Native peoples. It is awaiting a vote in the Senate State Administration committee. Message Senators and tell them to vote YES on SB 224. 

HB 311 would mandate that landlords and property management companies reimburse rental applications of individuals who didn’t end up receiving a property lease. With rental applications fees adding up to hundreds of dollars, it is time to reimburse applicants. This bill is awaiting a vote in the House Judiciary committee. Message Representatives and tell them to vote YES on HB 311.

SOME WINS!

HB 83 – PASSED THROUGH SENATE. This bill will establish a special fund for the MMIP task force, ensuring we have more resources to fight the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis. 

HB 288 – TABLED IN COMMITTEE. Even some co-sponsors ended up voting against the bill, once they learned more about the negative impacts. Quite literally titled “Recognize obligation of fatherhood and provide for child support during pregnancy”

SB 146 – TABLED ON SENATE FLOOR. In a squeaker, 26 (of 50) Senators voted against this bad housing policy. 

Hero of the Week- Sen. Janet Ellis (D- Helena)

One of the biggest issues that Montana legislators need to address this session is access to health care. We think everyone should have access to affordable and comprehensive care. But apparently, senators Carl Glimm and Jeremy Trebas strongly disagree. 

Sen. Glimm stood Tuesday on the Senate floor with SB 62 to declare that it is time to phase out Medicaid programs and provide for a soft ‘unwind’ of anyone currently on Medicaid. All for the good of our state budgets, but refused to consider the real economic implications this would have for over 80,000 people in our state. This bill was voted down, 20-30. Phew. 

But, the next day, Sen. Trebas, R-Great Falls stood up to declare that he had the solution for phasing out Medicaid (SB 199), ignoring the clear vote against this idea from the previous day. 

It was Senator Janet Ellis who stood up on Wednesday and said the quiet part out loud: This bill is actually a backhanded way to put current Medicaid programs at risk – and would undermine their continuation.  

Sen. Ellis called out how many of these arguments have been around what work requirements should (or should not) be included in Medicaid, but these arguments are in no way to what these bills are about. This argument is about whether we think it is a good investment of our state dollars to ensure everyone in our communities can get access to care. 

By putting on the record, Sen. Ellis made it clear that a ‘yes’ vote for phasing out Medicaid is a ‘yes’ vote for turning our backs on low- to no-income community members. We were relieved that SB 199 failed – although the vote was closer than we really liked (23-27). 

We are so grateful for Sen. Ellis for standing up for health care access in our communities! 

Villain of the Week- Rep. Braxton Mitchell (R-Columbia Falls)

Rep. Braxton Mitchell had a busy Friday morning. First, in the House Judiciary, he presented on HB 400, which would undermine the ability of public institutions (e.g. schools or agencies) from implementing policies to prevent discrimination against transgender people. 

With an opening speech about the harm of asking people to use pronouns, Rep. Mitchell made it clear that he believes some people in our community deserve the right to bully and mistreat others. 

After taking up too much time debating whether students should be taught kindness and respectful tolerance of others, Rep. Mitchell was late to his next hearing in a different committee. But he seemed unfazed as he introduced this second discriminatory policy – HB 395. 

This second bill would undermine the voting rights of individuals by creating a new definition in law on ‘unsound mind’. This broad definition casts a condescending and uninformed net that compromises the rights of individuals with disabilities or those living with brain injuries or cognitive decline. 

After listening to personal stories and advocate testimony, Rep. Mitchell dismissed opponents as ‘wrong’ – without having any actual words to back up that assertion. We are disappointed to see Rep. Mitchell using his voice and position of power to push such harmful policies. This is why Rep. Mitchell is our villain of the week. 

What the Helena #5 FebruaRY 3RD-7TH

Posted on by Dara Deines

Toplines: Hate of Our State (pt. 3), Attacks on Reproductive Health Care, and A Senate in Disarray (pt. 2) + What We Are Watching 

At the time of publishing this newsletter the links to the ‘bill text’ were not working on the legislative website. 

As we ask you to continue giving public comment, virtually testifying, calling your legislators, and showing up, remember to take care of yourself. We can’t do this work at 100% all the time so check on your friends, read a book, disconnect for a little bit, take a deep breath. The gross things some legislators say do not reflect what a vast majority of people believe- you belong here, you deserve to be here. See you next week <3 

Events, Rallies and Gatherings

Join us in Missoula February 9th starting 7PM at 422 W Alder St to decompress, be in community, and talk shit about your legislators all while eating some mouth watering soup. BYOB (bring your own bowl) 

Join us in Bozeman February 10th from 3-4pm at the FMT Office as we chat with two commissioners  who want to hear more from our young community members who are renters! RSVP here.

Join us at the “I❤️the Constitution” Rally on February 13th in Helena at the Capitol Rotunda, where we’ll be coming together to celebrate and protect the core values that uphold our democracy. Go here to learn more and RSVP. 

On February 14 &15, join our partner Catalyst MT at their annual Policy Leadership Institute. The 2-day conference will cover a wide-range of policy issues, and include skill building sessions. Learn more and sign up here!

Forward Montana legislative team will be hosting a series of zoom events. We’ll walk you through what’s happening at the Legislature around LGBTQ+ Rights, Reproductive Rights and Housing! 

Part 3: Hate of Our State

Montana Republicans cannot let up on their obsession with targeting transgender, nonbinary, and Two Spirit individuals in our communities. After three separate hearings last week on anti-trans bills, we have some updates. And one of them really sucks. 

Let’s start with HB 121(bathroom bill), which had its hearing in the Senate Judiciary last Thursday. We will skip the disparaging remarks Republicans insisted on making (nothing new or creative), and let you know that the bill passed out of committee on a party-line vote. It will be heard next week on the Senate floor. Call 406-444-4800 and message Senators. Tell them to VOTE NO on HB 121.

Next, there is SB 164 (ban care for trans youth). This bill was heard on the Senate Floor on Monday. And while two Republicans voted against it, this wasn’t enough to prevent it moving on to the House Chamber. It will likely have a hearing next week in the House Judiciary. Continue to message and call your House Representative and tell them you expect a NO vote on SB 164. 

And then, there is HB 300 (youth sports ban) which had its House floor debate on Wednesday. Rep. Seekins-Crowe continued in her disingenuous stance that this bill is about protecting girls in sports. Despite the bill passing on a party-line vote, we were teary-eyed after watching the power of trans voices and allies during the debate. 

Starting with Rep. Howell who pulled at our hearts when talking about the rich diversity of humanity that Republicans are insisting on erasing. Then, Rep. Zephyr spoke of the challenges trans athletes already face – and how bills like this make it harder for all women to participate in sports without discrimination. And finally, Rep. Strand put into words what we are all thinking: why tf are we here debating this, when we need elected officials coming up with solutions to housing, health care, and other actual issues Montanans are facing. 

Now the shittiest news: There is another anti-trans bill. Senate Bill 218 from Sen. Fuller (R-Kalispell) is a cruel attempt to force doctors to stop providing gender affirming care by threatening them with an absurd statute of limitations for medical malpractice. The current statute of limitations is 2 years. But SB 218 would allow for a statute of limitation of 25 YEARS for someone to sue if they regretted a gender-affirming procedure. Apparently, Sen. Fuller hasn’t heard – but the regret rate for receiving gender-affirming surgical procedures is around 1%, lower than most operations. 

This bill might be about targeting trans people, but it will lead to irreparable harm to our health care system, as doctor’s may choose to leave Montana rather than practice under this threat. This bill will be heard on the Senate floor next week. Call and message your Senator and tell them to vote NO on SB 218. 

A Debate on Personhood

Remember when we enshrined the right to abortion in November 2024? Well some Republicans legislators are set on undoing this monumental vote. 

First up was Rep. Lee Deming (R-Laurel) with HB 316. This bill would amend the Montana constitution to include a definition of personhood that life begins at conception. This would not only ban abortion –interpretations of personhood would jeopardize common forms of birth control, like IUDs and emergency contraception. 

What a disgusting attempt at government overreach. While HB 316 would require a ⅔ vote to pass through each chamber, this is highly unlikely and demonstrates how this is clearly a waste of our time. 

Enter a more insidious attempt to enshrine personhood into Montana policy, HB 288 from Rep. Courtney Sprunger (R-Kalispell). Rep. Sprunger claims that this is about ensuring both parents are supporting a pregnancy from the beginning by making it law that fatherhood starts at conception. But it only took a few minutes into proponents before we heard that this is about: pressuring people to stop choosing abortions.

For many people, they cannot afford a pregnancy. But instead of economic investments to lift everyone up in our communities, legislators like Rep. Sprunger think that forcing child support payments at conception will allow certain providers to shame patients who choose to have an abortion.

Please call the Representatives and remind them: Montana communities have spoken on this issue. We will have comprehensive reproductive health care. 

Part 2: A Senate in Disarray

Instead of discussing bills in afternoon committee, the Senate decided on Thursday after regular business to spend over an hour in a heated debate on how best to proceed with the potential ethics violations of one senator – Sen. James Ellsworth (R-Hamilton). He is under immense scrutiny for a decision he made about state funds. The accusation: Sen. Ellsworth used his position of privilege to circumvent proper protocols and give state contracts to a former business associate. 

Hearings in the Senate Ethics Committee were set to begin as early as next week, but then Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray (R-Billings) called for his removal from the floor while we await the ethics committee’s decision. This would remove Sen. Ellsworth from any floor discussion, effectively silencing his senate district consisting of thousands of constituents. 

Majority Leader McGillvray’s motion was immediately blocked by Minority Leader Pat Flowers, who moved to end the Ethics Committee investigation, instead placing it under the authority of the Department of Justice – and out of the Senate’s hands. His motion also blocked the expulsion of Sen. Ellsworth.

Ensue meltdown. At one point, Senators got so tangled up in their motions that they had to take a break to read the rules to figure out what they could do next. Tensions continued to build in the debate, with Sen. Fuller personally threatening the entire Senate floor – which he then had to apologize for at the beginning of Friday’s floor session.

In the end, Sen. Flower’s motion won out. But we are still waiting to see what this ‘win’ will mean for relationships in the Senate. Despite threats from at least one Senator, there were no further motions on this matter during Friday’s session.

Republicans have a majority in the Senate, House, and control of the governor’s office. Yet, they have advanced no policy to address the housing crisis, workforce shortages, or health care access. 

Instead, the bill moving quickest through these chambers is a bill that targets trans people and their ability to safely use public bathrooms, HB 121. 

What we are watching

SB 146 would undermine the ability for cities and counties to pass land-use decisions, like zoning, by setting an impossibly high legal bar. It would also allow for the gutting of thoughtful citizen-led decisions that shaped community land use to address housing issues. SB 146 passed through it’s first committee. It is headed to the Senate Floor next. Call and send messages to every Senator.

SB 101 caught our attention this week when we heard from our partners at Catalyst MT and MT Budget & Policy Center that if passed, it could put the shelter and safety of many Montanans at risk – and potentially violate constitutional rights.

SB 101 could undermine the judicial eviction process, allowing landlords to call law enforcement on landlord-tenant disputes. With the cost of housing at all time highs – over 31,000 people paying more than 30% of their income on housing – we need legislators to help us find or keep housing, not allow our landlords to call the cops on us. 

Hero of the Week- Rep. Ed Buttrey (R-Great Falls)

What can we say, we love health care! And think everyone in our communities deserves to have access to affordable and comprehensive care. 

Which is why, while we may not agree with this legislator on all his policies, we undoubtedly consider Rep. Ed Buttrey (R-Great Falls) our hero this week for his relentless advocacy to keep Medicaid programs in our state.

As a reminder, HB 245 would lift the sunset date of June 2025 – ensuring continued care for over 80k Montanans and allow Medicaid programs to continue indefinitely. 

The bill had its first floor debate on Friday afternoon and it was a nail-biter. Opponents of Medicaid showed up with misinformation and callousness in their attempt to sway any last minute undecided votes. With disdainful tones, conservatives presented doom and gloom for our state if Medicaid was allowed to continue. 

But this week’s Hero, Rep. Ed Buttrey was having none of it. Rep. Buttrey dominated this debate, from a powerful opening speech to the ease with which he swatted down false assertions about Medicaid. His closing remarks had us cheering as he decried: Stop making the healthcare of our constituents a political battle.

Support our Hero by sending a thank you note to all House reps who listened and voted yes for HB 245. The bill needs to make it through one more vote in the House before it can move to the Senate. Get your message in by 1pm on Monday, February 10th.

Learn more about how to support Medicaid programs or share your Medicaid story.

Villain of the Week- Sen. Barry Usher (R-Billings)

After weeks of watching Senator Barry Usher’s actions as the Chair of the Senate Judiciary, we reached a breaking point this week. 

Within the first hearings of the Senate Judiciary this session, Chair Usher had exerted his power to suppress the Democrat sitting as Vice Chair. 

With recurring interactions like ‘you speak when you get called on’ and then ignoring a raised hand, Sen. Usher is working to undermine Vice Chair Olsen’s power on the committee by forcing her silence. Sen. Andrea Olsen (D-Missoula), has been physically moved making her sit in a different chair in the committee as far away from him as possible and is routinely ignored by Chair Usher, and often treated unprofessionally when he interacts with her. 

But his disrespect expands past his legislative colleagues. In the past two weeks, Sen. Usher has decided to use his platform as Chair to target a single trans individual during the debates and votes on anti-trans legislation. 

Despite others in his party insisting that bills like HB 121 aren’t about targeting trans people, Sen. Usher has made it clear that not only is this about trans people, he’s intent on targeting one particular trans individual because of a tweet last session about bathrooms. Trans people deserve safety – not individual call-outs from elected officials. 

Finally, this week, he pushed the committee to vote on several bills that had just received a hearing only a couple hours before – giving the committee no time to review submitted public comments or complete additional research and undermining the public engagement process. And for these reasons, Sen. Usher is our villain of the week. 

What the Helena #4 January 27th-31st

Posted on by Dara Deines

Toplines: The Hate of our State (pt 2);Indigenous Justice for Kids, Culture, and Resiliency; Updates + A Couple Wins

Events, Rallies and Gatherings

In Billings at the MetraPark February 1st & 2nd, starting 10am there will be a peaceful protest against the Yellowstone County commissioners’ willingness to use the MetraPark for immigrant detainment

Join us in Missoula February 9th starting 7PM at 422 W Alder St to decompress, be in community, and talk shit about your legislators all while eating some mouth watering soup. BYOB (bring your own bowl) 

Join us in Billings February 12th for a Stitch and Bitch: Public Comment Training Edition! Come with a craft project you’re working on (or start one with supplies we provide!) while we teach you all about how to tell your story and give public comment during the Montana State Legislature. We’ll have free snacks and drinks. RSVP here.

Join us at the “I❤️the Constitution” Rally on February 13th in Helena at the Capitol Rotunda, where we’ll be coming together to celebrate and protect the core values that uphold our democracy. Go here to learn more and RSVP. 

On February 14 &15, join our partner Catalyst MT at their annual Policy Leadership Institute. The 2-day conference will cover a wide-range of policy issues, and include skill building sessions. Learn more and sign up here!

Part 2: Hate of Our State

If having an anti-trans bill the first week of session wasn’t enough, we’ve spent the fourth week listening to legislators debate three anti-trans policies. Nothing original here. Just the same discriminatory trash we’ve seen in the past – from bathroom bills, to trans youth sports bans. 

These bills have been adamantly opposed by our communities and deemed unconstitutional by our courts. But instead of listening, our legislature continues to debate and consider these bills – citing the ‘changing tide’ of our political landscape. Let’s review these trans hate bills: 

SB 164 from Sen. Fuller had its first hearing in the Senate Judiciary committee on Monday. This vile bill, which had similar iterations in 2021 and 2023, is revived to now include the criminalization of doctors who provide gender affirming care to trans youth – as well parents and guardians who support the youth in getting access to this care.  

HB 121 from Rep. Seekins-Crowe had its second hearing and despite wide opposition in committee and through public comment, Rep. Seekins-Crowe irrationally claims that this bill is about protecting women. And she continues this bad faith argument in her other anti-trans bill: HB 300. 

HB 300 had its first hearing in the House Judiciary committee on Friday. This bill, which we heard in 2021, would ban trans youth from participating in sports and prevent them from using the correct school bathroom. The hearing went off the rails when three conservative legislators became obsessed with discussing the genitalia of children. 🙄

Start to finish, we cannot believe that legislators believe that these bills are about anything other than targeting trans people.


And another thing, if legislators really cared about the health of women and other people who menstruate, they wouldn’t have voted down Rep. Ed Stafman’s HB 290, which would have prohibited the sale of menstrual products with PFAs (forever chemicals). 

Indigenous Justice for Kids, Culture, & Resiliency

On Monday, the Montana American Indian Caucus (MAIC) held a press conference, where they outlined the policy goals for the session. Sen. Shane Morigeau shared that, ‘as Native People, we understand the value of resilient communities sharing our traditions with future generations..’ 

Sen. Windy Boy acted on achieving these goals by running a series of essential Indigenous justice bills. Starting with SB 147, which would renew the Montana Indian Child Welfare Act (MICWA). 

Background: Last session, Montana passed MICWA to protect Native American children from being removed from tribal families and communities. This was huge, because as Indigenous communities in Montana were fighting for MICWA, the national Indian Child Welfare Act was being debated by SCOTUS. What a victory it was to have MICWA enshrined in law by the end of the 2023 session – and be free of the implications of any potential SCOTUS decision. 

As one proponent shared, the law recognizes the historical trauma caused by past policies and aims to protect Native American children’s cultural connections and tribal relationships. Senate Bill 147 would not only remove the sunset clause placed on the 2023 policy, it would expand and strengthen key components of MICWA. 

Sen Windy Boy then presented SB 182 to strengthen the state’s commitment to preserving American Indian cultural integrity by expanding the Montana Indian language preservation program. After years of violent forced assimilation, tribal communities are looking to expand partnerships between tribes and schools to ensure language programs have the support and financial resources they need to teach their languages.  

We are still hitting refresh on SB 147’s bill status page, but we’re excited to share that SB 182 has received overwhelming support and is headed to the House floor for debate! 

Celebrate with Us!

The session has been a shot to the heart – but we are excited to share some exciting progress. 🥳 

First, Rep. Karlen’s bill to establish a housing fairness tax credit (HB 154) has made it out of committee with overwhelming support. Thank you to everyone who submitted comment or called their legislator to make this happen! The bill heads to House Appropriations for a hearing next week.

Also this week, one of the nefarious bills that came out of the Senate Select committee died on the Senate floor. Take a moment to nerd out with us. SB 44, which would have eroded the separation of powers doctrine, had a full floor debate and passed its first floor vote (e.g. Second Reading). But then failed the following day on its final vote. What a wild ride (especially for our hardworking lobbyists and advocates in the building). 

Let’s celebrate the wins, and the progress it demonstrates – especially in a space that otherwise seems barren of values. 

What We Are Watching 👀

Here is a quick update on the bills that are attempting to undermine our impartial judiciary. These proposed bills could allow for partisan elections of judges and justices, partisan contributions to judicial candidates, allow legislators to circumvent a judicial mandate to fulfill their official duties- and much more. For more info on these bill check out ‘Judicial Attacks’ in WTH #3!

Bills heading to the Senate Judiciary: House Bill 39, Senate Bill 21, Senate Bill 52, Senate Bill 42 

Bills heading to the House Judiciary: Senate Bill 13 and SB 97

An update on the climate policy: House Bill 229, which would update Montana’s Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) following the Held v. Montana court ruling is still awaiting a committee vote. There is still time to call or message the House Natural Resource committee and tell them to vote YES on HB 229. 

And our first attack on reproductive rights: Despite our clear victory at the ballot to ensure the right to abortion, next week Rep. Lee Deming (HD-54) will present on HB 316, which would amend the Montana Constitution to include the definition of ‘person’. Rep. Deming’s bill would define ‘person’ to include all human beings from the moment of fertilization or conception.

This would not only make access to abortion illegal, but would interfere with private medical decisions about birth control, access to fertility treatments, management of a miscarriage, and restrict access to emergency contraception. 

HB 316 will be heard in the House Judiciary Hearing committee on Wednesday, February 5th. Committee starts at 8am. Sign up to give testimony or submit public comment to let legislators know that we do not appreciate their continued insistence on restricting our access to reproductive care. 

Hero of the Week- Sen. Derek Harvey (D-Butte)

Last week, we made Sen Webber our hero for her bill to expand K-12 educational programs to support students in identifying and keeping themselves safe from human trafficking (SB 107). Then, we were appalled to see that Senate Republicans chose to ridicule this bill in the floor debate, as they attempted to pass an amendment that would have removed its power. 

Enter Senator Derek Harvey from Butte, America. 

Sen. Harvey demanded that his colleagues be bold. Then turned the conservative talking point of the ‘woke’ agenda on its head by reminding his colleagues what this is really about: keeping our communities safe. He quipped that the only woke he understood with regards to this bill is the knowledge some parents in our state woke up and didn’t know where their child is. That some kids in our state woke up, and realized they didn’t know where they were.

Our endless gratitude for Sen. Harvey, who woke up on Tuesday with the courage to speak in defense of good policy. 

Villain of the Week- Sen. John Fuller (R-Kalispell)

Legislators don’t make it easy to pick one villain. We hear of hateful comments and discriminatory policy proposals throughout our week at the Capitol. But let us tell you why Sen. John Fuller made the cut for our villain of the week. 

Sen. Fuller started the week with his zombie bill, SB 164. Why zombie? Because SB 164 attempts to pass discriminatory legislation has already been ruled unconstitutional. 

Since 2021, then Rep. John Fuller previously proposed three anti-trans health care bills. And now here we are. Again. Not only is Sen Fuller pushing this discriminatory ban on gender affirming care for youth, he has the audacity to ask the legislature to threaten parents and doctors with imprisonment if they support youth in accessing this care. 

If you thought his hatred for youth stopped with trans kids, think again. He presented SB 210 in Senate Education on Thursday. This bill would remove the statutory requirement for the position of a student regent on the board of regents, the governing body of the Montana University System. 

His reasoning? The board of regents makes decisions regarding the allocation of funds, and since many youth don’t ‘even pay taxes’, they shouldn’t get a say in how taxpayer dollars are spent. He also insinuated that people under 23 aren’t capable of handling nor should be trusted with this level of responsibility. 

Sen. Fuller seems to base his policy proposals on the idea that youth are not deserving of access to opportunities that could make their lives better. And for this, he has earned this week’s title of Villain. 

Have you heard the latest episodes of our podcast? Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Reflecting on My Journey at Forward Montana

Posted on by Dara Deines

I’m filled with so many mixed emotions writing this! It’s becoming very real that this is my last week at Forward Montana.

When I first accepted this position in 2019, I knew that I would be in the role for 3-5 years – just the right amount of time to have an impact while also leaving space for the next leader. When COVID turned our world inside out and reduced electoral organizing to phones and laptop screens, I became eager and hungry for another chance at a major election. A chance to build community with in-person opportunities, to connect with voters at the doors, and to travel across the state that I love so much.

That’s why I was really surprised with the overwhelming emotions I felt when we announced my transition. This was a long time coming, but yet I was filled with tears – tears of sadness and grief, but also joy and pride. As I’ve been telling people, my chapter is coming to a close, and now it’s time for someone new to write the next one.

As I reflect on the last five years, I’m filled with tremendous pride for all we’ve accomplished:

  • Elevated Forward Montana’s visibility to national outlets including an OpEd in Teen Vogue, a think piece in The Forge, and mentions in the New York Times and New Republic.
  • Conducted electoral field programs that collectively registered over 16,500 voters, conducted over 87,000 door knocks & 500,000 phone calls, and mailed 840,000 pieces to young voters across the state.
  • Ran leadership development programs that hosted hundreds of events reaching thousands of young people and coordinated hundreds of volunteers.
  • Managed advocacy programs that passed pro-housing zoning reforms, pushed back against attacks to queer and trans youth, and defended access to voting. Secured abortion rights for Montanans through the passage of CI-128.
  • Became a plaintiff in two successful lawsuits that challenged four bills targeting young voters and college students, which included leading the organization’s response during discovery, a deposition, and a highly publicized trial. Bonus – SCOTUS just denied the Secretary of State’s request to hear the case!

All of this work would not have been possible without the incredible staff and board (former and current) who lended our organization their passion and joy. It would not have been possible without the hundreds of volunteers out with clipboards and MiniVAN apps. It would not have been possible without people like YOU who believed that when given the chance, young people can do incredible things.

Of course, the most recent election has shown us we have a lot of work to do. So even if Montana isn’t quite ready for a just and sustainable future, we can still imagine and live into the world we’re fighting for with the things we can control. By being transparent, embracing radical candor, and holding ourselves accountable to our actions, I believe that we can practice the values we espouse and model for others what is possible.

This also doesn’t mean we should lean into fear. Let strategy be our guardrails as we do what we do best – be loud, be fun, and be proud. After all, young people will always have BIG dreams for the future. We owe it to them to keep on fighting, to keep on pushing…to envision a better world that we all deserve. It starts with the 2025 legislative session, and in five short years it’ll be the 2030 Census (I KNOW). From there, the possibilities are endless. The future isn’t that far away.

There is no organization that is as primed as Forward Montana to meet the moment we’re in. We’re overdue for a new strategic plan, and I’m excited that a new leader will help write that next chapter. While we’re not ready to announce the new leader yet, I am delighted to share that our Operations Director Annie Warner and Director of Voter Engagement Courtney Smith will be stepping in as interim co-EDs. Annie and Courtney have played a critical role in Forward Montana’s successes and are ready for this next challenge.

So deep down, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. It has been such an incredible honor to be a part of the magic that is Forward Montana.

YOU’VE GOT THIS. CONTINUE BEING THE BADASSES THAT YOU ARE.

Kiersten Iwai

What The Helena Issue #3 January 20th-24th 2025

Posted on by Dara Deines

Toplines: Medicaid bills are off! Plus pro-housing bills that support renters, judicial attacks explained, climate advocacy day and another incoming anti-trans bill.

We’ve made it through the third week! It’s impossible to be in the building right now and not feel the hectic energy as this session hurdles along. Brace yourself – this one is a little spicy.

How to Submit Public Comment

As with most things related to the State of Montana there are always changes. If you want to submit a public comment or virtually testify this session it works a bit different. Here are the steps you need to take!

  • Make an account by going here
  • You’ll see several options to select, throughout this session we will be directing you to the Standing Committee section to either testify remotely and/or submit testimony (public comment).
  • We will direct you to specific bills or committees to address either as an opponent or proponent. We will do our best to make it clear what we are supporting and what we strongly oppose.  

Stay engaged this session and make your thoughts known to your legislators! Looking for some pointers on giving public comment? We’ve got you covered with a handy one pager on best practices. 

Events Across the State

Bozeman Stich and Bitch: 2025 Visioning Edition Friday, January 31st from 6-7:30PM at the Bozeman Office. Join Forward Montana at our first Stitch and Bitch of the year! Bring your own craft to work on or use provided collage supplies to create a 2025 vision board. Join us to craft, discuss the legislative session and build community, and eat FREE snacks! 

MSU FMT Club Meeting Monday, January 27th from 6-7:30 PM Wilson Hall. Looking to get involved on campus? Join the MSU Forward Montana Club for our first meeting of the semester. Come hang out, make some fun crafts, write comments to your legislators and get to know more about FMT!

Medicaid Bills are Moving!

Are we starting at the middle of the week for this update? Yes, and only because it’s so important to mention: Medicaid bills are on the move! Renewing Medicaid programs is one of the top issues this session.

The last session to debate Medicaid was in 2019. And despite valiant efforts, that bill contained a ‘sunset’ date of June 2025. Now legislators need to draft and pass Medicaid legislation that will ensure these programs continue – and maybe to improve upon the programs?

The first Medicaid hearings took place on Wednesday afternoon, starting with long-time Medicaid advocate Rep. Ed Buttrey’s bill HB 245. This bill does two things: lifts the sunset, and expands resources for workforce development

The second bill HB 230, sponsored by Rep. Mary Caferro, not only lifts the sunset but seeks to expand access to programs, by recommitting to continuous eligibility and reopening Offices of Public Assistance to support Medicaid recipients in navigating the process of enrollment. 

For both bills, the hearing room could barely contain the numerous proponents, from hospital lobbyists, health care advocates, to community members from across Montana who came to share their Medicaid stories. And the best part? No one dared show their face in opposition to these essential, life-saving programs. Congratulations to everyone who worked their asses off to make these two hearings a success!

It’s not too late to reach out to committee members on House Human Services to demand a do pass for Medicaid. Head here to submit public comment!

Pro Housing 🤝 Pro Renter

This week we heard two bills that center on alleviating the strain of housing costs for renters.

#DYK that over 30% of Montanans are renters? And many people under 35 not only rent, but have begun to assume they may never have a chance to own a home. While we hope that we build a future for expanded home ownership, we need legislators to include renters in their solutions for our housing crisis.

Which is why we are so grateful for Rep. Jonathan Karlen (HD96-D) , who introduced HB 154. This bill would establish a housing fairness tax credit, and is one of the only bills we’ve seen that includes renters.

Background: Property taxes are one of the top housing issues in our state. They are what tax experts call a ‘regressive’ tax – meaning the tax is applied uniformly, which results in larger takings from low-income individuals than from middle- or upper-class people. This can have a significant financial burden on individuals who do not have the coin to cover the costs.

Rep. Karlen’s bill would create a tax credit to alleviate this cost burden on both homeowners and renters, who of course cover property tax costs through their rent. Most legislators (and advocates) rarely include renters in their conversations or proposals.

As stated by proponents, tax credits like HB154 connect property taxes to income levels, thus reducing the burden on Montanans who may currently be between jobs, going to school, or a primary caregiver. Tax credits are the most targeted solution to property tax affordability.

Young Montanans need money to access education, training, and other opportunities. This tax credit could make this happen. Want a deep dive in tax policy? Go to our partner’s at Montana Budget and Policy Center.

Earlier that same day in the Senate, Sen. Mary Ann Dunwell (SD42-D) presented her bill to update the tenant move out laws. This bill could have clarified what counts as normal wear on a rental – and adds that, if a tenant has stayed for more than 2 years, they cannot reasonably be charged for some things (i.e. carpet replacement). Unfortunately, this bill was tabled in committee. 

Spark Notes: Judicial Attacks

Our team spent the last week digging into the 27 bills from the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Reform. Overall, the bills focus on politicizing the courts, undermining their authority, and removing their jurisdiction on certain cases. We assume most of these bills are nefarious in one way or another, based solely on the drafting process. Here are the 6 that stood out to us as the most egregious.

House Bill 39 would repeal the law that prevents parties from contributing to judicial candidates – allowing for an influx of partisan money to shape our judicial elections.

Senate Bill 13 would remove the MT Supreme Court from having jurisdiction for ballot review – slowing down the process for statewide ballot initiative language approval and shortening the window for signature gathering.

Senate Bill 21 would allow legislators to circumvent a judicial mandate to fulfill their official duties when they are refusing or failing to do so. It doesn’t stop there. If a legislator refuses to comply, they would be safe from further judicial response i.e. being held in contempt of court for refusing a court order.

Senate Bill 42 would provide for the partisan election of judges and justices. We mentioned this one last week. This dangerous policy would inject an extreme amount of partisanship into our judicial system, which by its very nature should only be about applying the facts and the law to cases, not partisan consideration. SB 42 is an extreme threat to undermine our impartial judicial system, the rule of law, and the ability for Montanans to pursue justice.

Senate Bill 52 would create a new court, made up of individuals appointed and funded by the governor. And that’s not the worse part. This new court would hear constitutional cases, land use cases, and business disputes. I think we can all see the problem here. Governor handpicking judges to determine whether discriminatory bills are unconstitutional. Also, making a new court would be expensive for the state.

And finally, Senate Bill 97 purports to prevent the practice of ‘judge shopping’; that conservatives claim is currently being done in constitutional challenge cases. But instead, this bill would create both prejudice in the process and increased risk of partiality by allowing localized politics to influence these legal disputes.

We aren’t lawyers, but we do know many. So send us your questions, and we’ll continue to keep you updated on the conservative’s attempt to undermine the authority and impartiality of our judicial system. If you don’t like the idea of a partisan judiciary, submit comment to your legislator here!

Trans People are Eternal

Despite what legislators said last week during the House floor debate on HB 121 – that trans and queer people are part of a woke agenda to undermine our longstanding cultural norms of gender and sexuality, we all know that we have been here forever and will exist well into the future – pending any total climate disaster – but even then… We are frustrated to see that Sen. Fuller, one of Montana’s top transphobes, has a hearing next week on his latest bill targeting trans people.

Senate Bill 164, revises offense of endangering the welfare of children, and seeks to criminalize doctors, parents, teachers, or anyone else who facilitates getting a child the health care they deserve.

Despite the innumerable debates on this topic, we don’t think that legislators even get what gender affirming care for youth is. And we are not going to uplift their ignorant talking points here. Trans youth and their parents should not face additional barriers to accessing care.

But no matter if you agree trans people deserve safety and access to care: everyone should see how fucked it is that elected officials think they can end the privacy between medical professionals and parents seeking care for their children.

SB 164 will be heard on Monday, January 27th in the Senate Judiciary starting at 8am. We ask that if you are an ally to trans people, you submit public comment or provide virtual testimony. Let’s show the Senate Judiciary how angry this hateful bill makes us.

Montanans Rally for Climate Change

On Friday, climate advocates gathered at the State Capitol in Helena for the second annual Climate Advocacy Day, organized by Families for a Livable Climate and over a dozen other groups. The event brought together community members and climate leaders to push for action on climate change and protect Montana’s natural beauty.

Attendees heard from speakers impacted by climate change, learned about clean energy solutions, and connected with organizations statewide advocating for the climate. Afterward, they attended an afternoon committee where many gave public comment in support of HB 229 to update Montana’s Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) following the Held v. Montana court ruling.

The event highlighted the growing momentum for climate action and the power of collective advocacy. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this event a success!

Hero of the Week- Sen. Susan Weber (D-Browning)

Once we heard about Sen. Susan Webber’s SB 107, we knew we had found our hero of the week! The bill would expand K-12 education to include teaching students about how to identify and avoid human trafficking. If passed, it would task the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) to develop activities and curriculum for all ages.  

Sen. Webber shared the devastating statistic that while Native people make up 6.7% of the Montana population, they make up over 30% of the missing and murder cases. Up to this point, we have seen a lot of bills focused on data collection and supporting law enforcement response in cases of a missing person. But this bill focuses on prevention through education – by empowering the K-12 students in understanding this issue.

Prevention and education are some of the best tools to keep our communities safe – we were excited to see that the majority of committee members agreed! This bill is headed to the Senate Floor for debate, where we hope it continues to receive overwhelming support.

Villain of the Week- Rep. Lukas Schubert (R- Kalispell) 

We had many options for villain this week – the legislature allows for a broad range of harmful behavior and gross misinformation. But this week, one villain stood out amongst the crowd: Rep. Lukas Schubert (HD8 – R).

Rep Schubert horrified us when he pushed a petty amendment to prohibit the allocation of state funds towards the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Peoples’ task force. Last week, in our Hero of the Week, we shared in more detail about HB 83 – and the years’ long process to get it adequate funding.

On Thursday, the Kalispell representative stood on the House floor and regurgitated alt-right conservative talking points, like ‘woke agenda’, in an attempt to cause damage to this necessary bill. It had us thinking maybe he slept through his Indian Education for All instruction. Either way, after his unsavory spectacle, he only got 3 other Republicans to vote with him, and the bill passed through the House without any changes.

Maybe in his summer reading, Rep. Lukas Schubert can browse an Indigenous Justice book list to avoid further amendment blunders. Until then, we hope that he keeps his anti-Indigenous sentiments off the mic.

Have you heard the latest episode of our podcast? Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

What The Helena Issue #2 January 13th-17th 2025

Posted on by Dara Deines

Toplines: Capitol Rally for Medicaid, A Courageous Floor Debate, The Attacks on MT Judiciary, MMIP Task Force, The Hate of our State

As the second week closes out, we now have a clearer picture on what legislators are (and aren’t) prioritizing, and the attitudes they are bringing to this legislative session. Buckle up folks, it’s a bit of a long one.

Events Across the State

Billings

Monday, January 20th at the All Nation Christian church at 6pm join our team and the Black Heritage Foundation of Billings for an MLK day event. There will be live entertainment refreshments, and speakers honoring MLK.

Missoula

Wednesday, January 22nd from 6pm-8:30pm at Free Cycles  Montana Abortion Access Program “Art and Advocacy: Abortion Access in Focus.” will feature a pop-up gallery and artist talk, and a panel discussion on the impact of the Dobbs decision with speakers from MAAP, Blue Mountain Clinic, Planned Parenthood, and Montanans for Choice. The event is free attend, donations are welcome! 

Bozeman 

Thursday, January 23rd from 5:30-7pm Housing Happy Hour at Shine in Bozeman. Join Bozeman Welcoming Neighbors for a drink and chat about Bozeman’s Pro-Housing Initiatives. 

Whitefish

Friday, January 24th from 5:30-7:30pm at the Whitefish Community Center join us for our Introduction to Crochet and Fiber Arts Workshop! Come get yarn, learn to crochet, and tell us all your session-related questions.

Refreshments will be provided – please RSVP so we know how many hooks to bring! 

At the Capitol
Friday, January 24th, 11am – 2pm at the Capitol Rotunda join the Forward Montana legislative team at this year’s Climate Advocacy Day. Stop by our table to grab some swag and stay to listen to the powerful speakers! More info here about the Climate Advocacy Day. 

The Rallies Have Begun✊

Over 150 people joined together on the Capitol steps on Wednesday to rally in support of Montana’s Medicaid programs. Our organizing friends at Catalyst MT emceed the rally and hit home the key points of each speaker. As Alice Boyer of Catalyst MT stated, we are here to fight for over 80,000 Montanans who depend on Medicaid programs for essential care. 

Among the speakers was Joel Rosette, the CEO of the Rocky Boy Health Center in Box Elder, who explained how life-changing Medicaid programs have been for providing preventive and specialty care to tribal communities. And the significant impact this has had for quality of life for individuals living in rural parts of our state. 

Rep. Mary Caferro, Medicaid programs champion, gassed up the crowd and reminded everyone that the reason Medicaid programs continue to pass is because people like us show up, tell our stories, and demand action from our legislators. When she asked the crowd if they were ready to continue this fight to keep Montana’s access to affordable care, there was a raucous cheer from the attendees. 

Two Medicaid bills will likely be heard this upcoming week: HB 230 and HB 245. Stay tuned for hearing dates and next steps. 

If you are currently or have ever utilized Medicaid programs, we encourage you to submit public comment or give testimony in support. Sound both exciting and terrifying? Get in touch with organizers at Healthy Montana. They would love to support you in figuring out the best way to share your Medicaid story. Missed the rally? View the playback here! 

HB 121 Floor Debate

After rallying on the Capitol steps for Medicaid, our legislative team sat in the gallery, feet from where protesters were arrested last year, to listen to the House Floor Debate on House Bill 121. For a reminder of what House Bill 121 is, peep last week’s session update.

The bill sponsor’s opening was an attempt to (poorly) assure everyone that this wasn’t about trans people, but by the time the floor voted to end the debate, the Republicans who stood in support of the bill were saying the quiet part loud – and proud: this bill is about targeting trans people. 

In the face of this vile opposition, three Democrats succinctly covered why this type of legislation is harmful, to individuals and our community as a whole. It started with Rep. SJ Howell, who ended their speech with an unexpected, humorous quip on Republicans’ own messaging around Montana values of small government. Rep Ed Stafman was the second Democrat to speak in opposition, exposing the economic and legal foolishness of this Republican obsession with harassing trans people.

And finally, Rep. Zooey Zephyr stood in powerful defiance at a bill that Republicans won’t deny is also about a direct attack on her. 

While the outcome was a party-line vote of 58-42 and we’ll have to endure another hearing in the Senate, we saw from our communities an outpouring of opposition to this bill. 

Through public comment in committee last Friday, to the number of calls and messages to legislators – our hearts burst to see that we refuse to lose our fight against this type of legislation. Each message makes clear to legislators that we are fucking sick of having to talk about whether trans people get to live safely in our communities. 

Judiciary Attacks Continue

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the number of bills related to changes to our judiciary, we get it, it’s a lot. Along with a number of new pieces of legislation, there are 27 bills that were drafted during the interim through the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform. 

For reference, the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform was formed in the spring 2024, after the Montana Supreme Court reminded the legislature that they cannot pass unconstitutional laws.

In response, former Senate President Jason Ellsworth (SD 43 – Hamilton) put together this new Select Committee, declaring that the courts had overstepped the separation of powers and accused several courts of violating the state Constitution. 

After developing the Republican membership for the Select Committee, Sen. Ellsworth invited Democratic leadership to send their members. And while you may see Democrats’ names listed in the membership, they refused to legitimize the committee and did not attend a single meeting. 

So within the echo chamber of the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform, a faction of Republicans drafted 27 committee bills. Which leaves us with the question: which are innocuous (if any) and which, if passed, would undermine the impartiality and power of our courts system? We hope to have a clearer answer for you by next week. 

For now, SB 42, is raising the greatest concern for us, which would provide for the partisan election of judges and justices. Currently, our judicial elections are nonpartisan, meaning that candidates do not have a political party affiliation and instead are given the opportunity to run on merit and judicial values.SB 42 will also impact judicial campaigns and the type of money we could see flooding into those elections. 

In Ohio, one of the seven states in the country that has partisan elections, people are concerned at the influx of outside money to influence the outcome of judicial elections as well as judges feeling pressure to rule with politics in mind, instead of their honest interpretation of current law. 

The Forward MT legislative team are wrapping our heads around all the bills proposed to change the judiciary – and will have a more comprehensive analysis to clarify which bills are harmless and which ones could undermine the impartiality of our judicial system. 

What We Are Watching 👀

🏘️HB 21- Passed through the House with bipartisan support of (75-25), and is headed to House Appropriations for a hearing on the cost of the bill. Where advocates will hopefully demonstrate that this proven program will be a win-win for all Montanans both economically and for affordable housing access. 🤩

#DYK this is the third time this piece of legislation has been introduced in Montana. During previous hearings, there has been a constant theme from the diversity experts in attendance as proponents recognize this bill as an important step in combating the housing crisis that the state is experiencing. 

HB 21 would provide a workforce housing credit to provide further funding for affordable housing projects throughout the state, bridging gaps in funding for certified programs and ultimately provide for more affordable housing especially in rural communities.

This is accomplished by providing tax credits that are designed to be sold so that the created capital can be used towards housing projects. These are decisions that are made locally and will only be given to certified building projects that meet the necessary criteria, these credits can significantly help  fund a project. We are very optimistic towards this bill and will continue to provide updates as it works its way through the Senate!

Hero of the Week- Rep. Tyson Running Wolf
(D)- Browning

This week, our hero is Rep. Tyson Running Wolf for introducing HB 83 which would set aside money to continuously fund the Missing and Murder Indigenous People’s Task Force. 

Background: The Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force, was created in 2019 with the goal to bring county, state, and federal agencies together to communicate more effectively and pinpoint the gaps in response when someone is reported missing. 

The task force was reauthorized in 2021, receiving $10,000 for two years of operation, which proved to be inadequate funding for the Task Force to accomplish its goals. So, in 2023 another bill requested additional funding and an extension of the sunset date placed on the task force. 

The result: the task force sunset date was extended from two years to 10, to ensure the task force exists through the next five legislative session. But the requested budget was slashed to 1/10th of what was requested, leaving uncertainty on how effective the task force can be.  

Fast forward to this week: Rep. Tyson Running Wolf, who championed the 2019 bill, introduced House Bill 83 to create a special revenue account to allow the task to accept and generate its own funding, instead of relying on state funds. 

Rep. Running Wolf shared in his testimony that this bill is a call to action – and his continued vocal advocacy on this issue is why he is our Hero of the Week. 

Villain of the Week- Governor Greg Gianforte
The Hate of our State

On Monday, January 13, Governor Gianforte delivered his third state of the state address before a full room of legislators, state-elected officials, and the MT Supreme Court Justices. While we hoped that the Governor would work to coalesce two parties around reasonable solutions on housing and healthcare, the speech left some feeling disoriented. It felt for some that he was reading from two very different speeches, haphazardly cut and pasted together.

Depending on the topic, his tone swung between proclamations of ensuring prosperity in our state, to offensive requests for discriminatory policy be sent to his desk. The one piece we found inspiring was directing legislators to set aside $100M in the budget to raise teacher pay and support educators just starting their career, which had the entire legislature on their feet. 

He boasted of dining with President-Elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago, while insisting that he was invested in supporting working Montanans. 

He demanded that the legislature fast-track policies to cut taxes, insisting that he needed those on his desk by the beginning of February. This timeline, similar to last session’s tax cuts, would circumvent the budget conversations legislators are having until mid-February to determine which new and existing budget items should be included in our state budget for the next biennium. 

He made direct eye contact with the Montana Supreme Court Justices, who sat in the first two rows, as he made clear his plans to support legislation that would erode the separation of powers and undermine the impartiality of our judicial system. 

But what stood out most to us is his hateful anti-trans rhetoric that got the most attention from Republicans with loud applause and a standing ovation. He requested that bills like HB 121 be rushed to his desk for signature. He articulated that one of his highest priorities is to pass discriminatory policy. And for this reason, Governor Gianforte is our villain of the week. 

What The Helena Issue #1 January 6th-10th 2025

Posted on by Dara Deines

Toplines for this issue: Already, an attack on trans rights, plus the Senate debate and rules fight. 

Welcome to What the Helena, Forward Montana’s newsletter where we will cover the 69th Legislative Session. It’s the first week of the session and the unexpected (but also not unexpected) is happening. 

Legislators were barely sworn in on January 6th before the drama began. With over 4200 bill draft requests making their way through legislative services, it seems we are in for another rollercoaster. Grab yourself a drink and snack, and let’s get into the policies and tea from the first week. 🍵

To hear more about our team’s takeaways from this first week (or if you prefer to listen to your news), be sure to check out the What the Helena Podcast!

🏛️ At the Capitol and Virtual Gatherings

There will be a lot of opportunities to join us at the Capitol or in community to talk about the 69th legislative session. The first couple of opportunities to engage are right around the corner!

  • Wednesday, January 15th at 12pm, join Montanans from across the state at Capitol Flag Plaza (in front of the Capitol building) for the Montana Medicaid Rally. RSVP here! 
  • Thursday, January 16th at 12pm, join us at a virtual action to Call Your Lawmaker. This youth-led event will provide you with the tools and practice on how to contact your legislator – in particular, to invite them to the Climate Advocacy Day, happening on Friday, January 24th, in the Capitol Rotunda. RSVP here for the virtual call. More info here about the Climate Advocacy Day.

Republicans Need a Priority Check 

With questions around healthcare, housing, and climate action, we would think that legislators would prioritize discussions and policies to address these issues. Instead, by the second day of session, conservatives decided to fast-track their attacks on trans people. 

Background: The full legislature meets every 2 years to pass policy and the state budget. But, did you know that legislators continue to meet between each legislative session in a series of meetings referred to as interim legislative committees. While interim committees do not pass policy, they can work together to draft policy to introduce at the next legislative session. 

During the first few weeks of session, we’d expect to see the slew of bills drafted during the interim committees making their way to their first hearings. After all, legislators have spent months on these bills. Instead, House Republicans set a Friday hearing for an entirely new bill to discuss where trans people get to use the bathroom in public spaces. 

House Bill 121, sponsored by Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, poses as a bill aiming to protect the privacy of (cis)women, but it is a thinly veiled attempt to prevent individuals from using the bathrooms, changing rooms, or private facilities that align with their gender. This bathroom ban is particularly egregious because it would allow anyone to sue public schools, private businesses, and even domestic violence shelters if they believe they’ve encountered someone who is in the “wrong” bathroom. 

The person suing could force a business, school, or shelter to change their restroom access, as well as demand money for any damages caused to their person as a result of the incident. The real impact of this bill isn’t public safety, but significant loss of funds to universities, public schools, shelters, and businesses who will have to navigate a civil suit based on what one person thinks of the appearance of another. 

As Representative Bedey noted in December during a pre-session bathroom debate, HB 121 and similar bills are a distraction from the real issues facing Montanans. We urge that like in December, common sense prevails. 

For now, we continue to ponder why legislators are so obsessed with having a say in where trans people get to use the bathroom. It’s creepy. 😖

A Senate in Disarray

Having rules and committee assignment debates is not the normal agenda for the first week of session, as rules are usually settled during pre-session discussions. Yet before the ink had dried on each senator’s oath of office, order on the Senate floor dissolved after Minority Leader Pat Flowers motioned to undo a recent rules decision that formed a new standing committee. 

The motion passed with the full support from Senate Democrats plus nine Senate Republicans. This means that committee assignments for all regularly scheduled (standing) Senate committees could now possibly change – drastically changing the landscape of what types of bills can (or cannot) make it out of committee. 

In response, Senate Republican leadership – Senate President Matt Regier plus Senate committee chairs suspended all business as usual for the whole week. Want more info on the motion and impact? Peep our villain section. 👇

The result: The senate had ZERO bill hearings this week, after initially having a full week of work scheduled. Where this will all land is yet to be determined. Between the conflict within the Republican party and the Senate now a week behind in work, tensions are high in the building as lawmakers try to get things moving again. 

Incoming Attacks on the Judiciary 👩‍⚖️

Before the senate stalled, there were a slew of bills scheduled that seek to undermine our state’s fair and impartial judiciary, particularly aimed at the Montana Supreme Court. 

This is in response to MT SCOTUS persistent reminders this past year to the legislature that they cannot pass unconstitutional policy. Conservatives have declared war on the separation of powers and the court’s authority. We expect to know more next week on when these bills will be scheduled. Keep an eye out for calls to action regarding judicial attacks.

What We Are Watching 👀

🏡 House Bill 21 would establish a Montana Workforce Housing Tax Credit. As most of us are all painfully aware, there is a housing shortage across all our communities. The state’s population continues to grow and lawmakers need to find solutions now to figure out how to support our communities instead of allowing inaction to create further harm to our quality of life and economy. 

HB 21 would provide access to additional funding sources, which are badly needed to fund new affordable housing options for working Montanans. The bill had its first hearing in the House Tax Committee on Friday, January 10th – and received overwhelming bipartisan advocate support. We’ll keep you posted on the committee’s decision. 

Hero of the Week- Rep. Mary Caferro (D) Helena

We are excited to announce our first hero of the 69th Legislative Session: Representative Mary Caferro. On the 4th day of session, Rep. Caferro stood up for Montanans on the House floor by declaring that our taxpayer dollars should not be used to defend the state in lawsuits regarding their bad behavior. 

#DYK: For the last few decades, the public has had access to the behind-the-scenes documents and correspondence that go into a bill draft process. This compilation of information collected by the Legislative Services Division is referred to as the junque files. These files allowed advocates, journalists, lobbyists, and anyone else in the public to see what resources and relationships legislators were using to influence their bill drafts. 

Fast forward to this past year, when a ruling by Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Christopher Abbott left us with the unanswered question: are junque files ‘privileged’ information, or subject to the public right to know? 

As a result, the Legislative Services Division closed off access to these files, citing this court decision. Resulting in a major loss to transparency in our legislative processes. 

Back to this week: In the House floor debate of House Bill 1, the bill that funds the salaries of legislators and staff for the 69th legislative session, Rep. Caferro brought an amendment to remove a section of funding intended to pay for the state’s defense in a lawsuit that seeks to keep this information from the public. 

Rep. Caferro declared that taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay to lose their right to know. And we couldn’t agree more. 

Villain of the Week- Sen. Matt Regier (R) Kalispell

While we all expect our schedules during session to include last minute changes and quick turnarounds, we are appalled by the behavior of one senator this week that kept the entire chamber in uncertainty and wasted tax-payer dollars by freezing committee agendas. For that reason our first villain of the week is Senate President Matt Regier. 

As we shared earlier in this newsletter, the Senate was at a standstill after a surprise motion on the floor to change the designation of a new committee from standing to on-call. 

Background: In the fall after the election, the newly elected legislators convene in Helena to begin preparations for session. One of the most important preparations is the establishment of the rules that will govern the legislative processes. This past fall, conservative leadership adopted rules that created a new committee: Executive Review. 

The reason? Many conservative Republicans believe that the Governor is not aligned with their conservative principles. This committee was a strategy to keep the Executive branch in check by sending bills requested by the Governor and his agencies to be heard in this Executive Review committee. 

When the committee was redesignated to be an on-call committee, Senate President Regier used his position in leadership to cancel all hearings until the decision could be reversed. As of Friday, the 9 senators who voted for this change are holding firm in their decision. 

The result: a colossal waste of time and money for everyone expecting the Senate to begin their important work this week. Including the House chamber, which continued to hear bills and schedule hearings. Although the Senate is now a week behind, Regier has conceded that it is time to accept his chamber’s decision and let the Senate get to work.

What a way for this legislative session to start 🎢

2024 Post election Statement and resources

Posted on by Dara Deines

Like many of you, we are processing the outcome of the general election. There’s a lot that we don’t know, and it’s too early to draw any definitive conclusions about what the future holds.

Here’s what we do know: we are so proud of the young people who showed up to make their voices heard. This commitment to making the promise of democracy real cannot be understated; on election night, some young people stayed at the polls until nearly 4 am to cast their ballot. In doing so, we successfully protected abortion rights and gained enough Democratic and moderate Republican seats in the state legislature to have a chance at passing policies that benefit all Montanans. It’s important that we celebrate these wins. 

At the same time, Tim Sheehy’s election and Donald Trump’s re-election reflect a painful reality that we must grapple with. We now have a Senator-elect who bullies trans people, mocked Indigenous people and believes the government should have final say on what we do with our bodies. We also have a president-elect who threatens American democracy, pits communities against each other and spreads hate. These newly elected officials will stall progress on policies that will improve the lives of young people in Montana. Like many of you, we are worried that the results of the election will leave our loved ones, our communities, and our state under threat.

But we cannot give in to despair. Forward Montana will continue to hold our elected officials accountable- whoever they are. We will continue to advocate for you – whether that’s at a City Council or City Commission meeting, in Helena for a state legislative hearing, or any other place. Let’s show up for each other, to advocate for our rights and freedoms. 

Our future is not won or lost in one election. It’s something we must fight for year-round, every single day. Forward Montana will continue to do just that. We’ll continue to organize from Flathead to Missoula to Billings to Glendive — every corner of Montana. Because this is our home. We are not going away.   And we will fight for the Montana we deserve.

In mutual aid organizing, there’s a maxim: give what you can, take what you need.In these next several days and weeks it’s particularly important that we take care of ourselves and each other. Please ask for what you need and give what you can to sustain one another. 

  • If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call 988 OR text 741-741 for FREE 24/7 help. You can also access care from community for mental health through:
    • Trans Lifeline (24/7 peer support hotline by and for trans people, police divested) –  1 (877) 565-8860
    • BlackLine (non-judgmental, witnessing, affirming peer support, counseling, and reporting of mistreatment) – 1 (800) 604-5841
    • Stronghearts Native Helpline (a free, safe and confidential helpline for Indigenous people affected by domestic violence or dating violence)  –  1(844) 762-8483
    • LGBTQ+ National Hotline  (confidential, peer support for LGBTQIA+ community members) – 1 (888) 843-4564
  • If you had difficulties voting contact us at hello@forwardmontana.org.
  • If you have experienced a hate crime or threat, confidentially report and receive support with Montana Human Rights Network at www.mhrn.org/report-hate. 

Take care of yourself, find comfort in community and when you’re ready we will be here fighting for young Montanans