Montana House Speaker Rep. Brandon Ler, R-Savage, says it was justifiable to hold onto a bill from last years legislative session for months, to give it a better chance of getting its own hearing in court. However, he says he allowed it to move forward last week because it no longer made sense to continue delaying it.

It was just time to move it along in the process, Ler told MTN Monday.

(Watch the video for more of Ler's explanation of his decision.)

Senate Bill 437, sponsored by Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, seeks to define a persons sex as being either male or female and fixed at birth. It was the last bill from the 2025 legislative session that hadnt either become law or died in the process.

Once a bill passes the Legislature, it must be signed by both the speaker of the House and the president of the Senate before going to the governor. However, theres no deadline in law or rules that says when they must sign. In this case, Ler simply withheld his signature, leaving SB 437 in limbo still alive, but not officially law.

After almost a year, Ler finally signed the bill last week, then sent it on to Gov. Greg Gianforte, who signed it into law shortly after.

Ler says his goal was to keep SB 437 from being rolled into an existing court case where a district judge in Missoula struck down a similar law: Senate Bill 458, also sponsored by Glimm, from the 2023 session. However, he says that case has been dragged out so long that SB 458 isnt getting its due process, so there was no reason to keep waiting.

Plaintiffs who challenged SB 458 said the law was discriminatory and harmful to transgender and intersex Montanans. Their attorneys told MTN last week that they saw no substantive difference between the two bills and that they were already making the request to add a challenge to SB 437 to their case.

Ler argues its appropriate to hear SB 437 separately, but he doesnt think thats likely to happen.

The court was saying, This is where we find it unconstitutional, so we went ahead and changed it, he said. And now the groups that are going to sue on it are going to sue again and they'll find something else that's unconstitutional about it.

Ler defends his procedural move, saying he hadnt hidden his strategy from House Republicans or Democrats.

We let the public know from Day 1 what we were doing and why we hadn't signed it, he said. I think this is a tool that's in our toolbox that we can use. I wish that this other case would have been heard and finalized, and then this case would have got a fair shot and now, to us, it just doesn't seem like it's going to get a fair shot.

Ler is also involved with one other dispute over where a lawsuit challenging a bill should be heard. He has supported a motion to move a second Held v. Montana climate lawsuit from Broadwater County to his home county, Richland County in far eastern Montana.

The Legislature passed Senate Bill 97 last year, which says when a lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of a newly passed law, that laws main sponsor can seek to have the case moved to the state district court in their home county. Ler sponsored House Bill 285, one of the bills the Held plaintiffs are challenging, which seeks to keep environmental reviews from stopping or delaying projects.

I think that the judges that we put in in different parts of the state, obviously, are going to view this differently, he said. I think that, if you're going to have extreme effect on what happens in eastern Montana whether that's in the oil fields or coal mining, that Held case trickles down into every industry I think that if it's going to have a major effect out east, I think that we should have the ability to try to get the case heard out east.

Plaintiffs have opposed the motion to relocate the case, saying it would unreasonably burden their access to court and that SB 97 isnt justified by a legitimate government interest.

A major point of Seth Bodnar's Wednesday announcement that he's running for the U.S. Senate is his political affiliation since he's running as an independent.

Lee Banville, a political analyst and director of the University of Montana School of Journalism, says independent candidates have historically faced an uphill battle in the polls.

He adds this is largely because of the increased polarization in the country as a whole, with most voters sticking to their political camps.

But with the change brought by the Trump administration, Banville says the opportunity for a successful run is not completely ruled out.

Do we start to see outside organizations, not the parties, but like, independent political organizations, start to put money into this race. So that's always the best indicator that there's a sense that maybe there's something going on here. That these political organizations want to be involved in and so, you know, watching. Do the Republicans pour money into (incumbent) Steve Daines' campaign because they're worried? Do other organizations pour money into the Seth Bodnar campaign because they see an opportunity to kind of capitalize on people's frustration, Banville said.

Bodnar, who recently resigned as University of Montana president, is seeking the seat held by Daines, a Republican seeking his third term.

HELENA A longtime Democratic state lawmaker has announced hes running against Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing in Montanas eastern congressional district.

Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, filed at the Montana Secretary of States Office on Wednesday afternoon.

Watch the video for more on how the eastern district race is shaping up:

Downing filed for reelection at the State Capitol last week, saying hes proud of the work Congress has done during his term and that he wants to continue that.

But Windy Boy says he didnt want to hear about staying in the same direction for another two years and thats what convinced him to jump into the race.

People are kind of questioning themselves: Is this really the path that Montana needs to go down? he said.

Windy Boy, 67, has served in the Montana House, Senate, House again and now Senate again since 2003 a longer consecutive period than any other current lawmaker. He also works as the tribal historic preservation officer for the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boys Reservation. This is his first time seeking higher office.

Windy Boy says hes concerned about how federal health care and agricultural policies are affecting Montanans, about congressional budget deficits and about the Trump administrations immigration enforcement, which he says has been concerning for many tribal members.

Windy Boy describes himself as a moderate Democrat and an independent thinker. He says he is pro-life, and in the Legislature, he broke with his party on some abortion bills though he says more recent bills have gone too far with potential penalties for doctors performing abortions. He has also been one of the few legislative Democrats to advocate strongly for expanding charter schools.

As far as any type of issue that's going to impact Montana, I want to see both sides of a story, basically, he said. That's what my intention is, thats what my position has always been, and thats how I'll always be, whether it be in D.C. or Helena.

Windy Boy is the third Democratic candidate running against Downing. The other two both making their first runs for office dont have his political experience, but they have already been campaigning around the eastern district for months. Brian Miller, an attorney from Helena, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls, both filed at the Secretary of States Office on Feb. 17.

Meanwhile, one other candidate filed with the Secretary of State this week but hes not yet guaranteed a spot on the ballot. Mike Eisenhauer, a cardiologist from Great Falls, is running as an independent. He needs to gather at least 7,274 signatures from registered voters by May, in order to qualify for the general election. On Monday, he told MTN his campaign has already collected more than 5,000 signatures though they still need to be verified.

What we're seeing is that there really is a tremendous appetite out here for something other than status quo, he said.

Downing won his seat by more than 30 percentage points over his Democratic opponent in 2024, and national election analysts have again predicted the eastern district will be strongly Republican this year.

Theres now just one week left for candidates to get officially registered for the 2026 elections. The candidate filing period closes at 5 p.m. on March 4, when we will know everyone who is and isnt running this year.

HELENA Well before 8 a.m. Tuesday, there were already eight people in line outside the Montana Secretary of States Office, waiting for the moment they could sign up to get their names on the states 2026 ballot.

Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen opened the office doors at 8 a.m., as the states candidate filing period officially got underway.

While candidates have already been announcing theyre running for office, raising and spending money and talking to voters, they dont actually have a place on the ballot until they take the step of registering, confirming they meet the qualifications and paying a filing fee.

Watch the video to see more from the first day of candidate filing:

Candidates can file online and the majority did but many chose to come to the Secretary of States Office to file in person. In all, about 150 candidates registered on Tuesday, and about 40 of those did so at the Capitol.

Staff in the Secretary of States office told MTN its one of the busier first days of filing they can remember.

In 2024, 108 candidates filed on the first day, and 26 of those were in person.

The first in line to file at the Capitol was Tia Nelson, a Democratic candidate running for House District 84 in the Helena Valley. The first to file online was Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, as he officially kicked off his campaign for a third term.

In addition to Daines Senate seat, Montanans will also be voting on:

In the western congressional district, two Democratic candidates filed in person: Matt Rains, a rancher from Simms, and Ryan Busse, an author and activist from Kalispell. Russ Cleveland, a former child care business owner from St. Regis, filed from his phone on the campaign trail.

Great Falls farrier Sam Lux and Helena attorney Brian Miller, the two Democratic candidates in the eastern congressional district, also filed at the Secretary of States office.

Incumbent Public Service Commissioner Annie Bukacek, a Republican from Kalispell, filed in person for another term representing District 5. In addition, David Sanders, a former PSC executive director, filed in person to challenge Bukacek in the Republican primary.

PSC Commissioner Randy Pinocci, a Republican from Sun River, is termed out of the commission but he was at the Capitol anyway to file as a candidate for Montana Senate District 12. Jeff Pattison, a Republican from Glasgow, filed online for Pinoccis District 1 PSC seat.

In previous election cycles, this candidate filing period would have extended over two full months. But during the last legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill that condensed it down to just over two weeks.

Candidate filing will close at 5 p.m. on March 4, making that the last moment for anyone thinking about running for office this year to either get in or get out.

HELENA Montana voters will be electing three out of four members of the states congressional delegation this year, including both of its representatives in the U.S. House.

Montana hasnt sent a Democrat to the House since 1994, and Reps. Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing will be looking to continue that trend this year.

Watch the video to hear from Montana's two House members:

Zinke has been elected to the House four times: in 2014 and 2016 when Montana had only one House seat, and in 2022 and 2024 when he represented the 1

Congressional District. That district includes most of western and southwestern Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. In 2024, Zinke won his race by about seven percentage points.

Unlike his previous campaigns, Zinke comes into the 2026 election as part of a Republican majority that has full control of the federal government, holding the presidency and both houses of Congress.

In a speech at the Montana GOPs Winter Kickoff event in Great Falls earlier this month, he laid out a series of accomplishments he believes Republicans can take credit for, on topics from border security to energy development to foreign diplomacy to tax policy.

Zinke told MTN he thinks the Trump administrations actions have been good for the economy, but that many average people still dont feel like theyve seen improvements.

It takes a while, but the economy has to feel better, he said. Its beginning to feel a lot better, and the sun is shining.

Zinke said Trumps tariff policies could be a positive in the long term, as long as they lead to permanent trade deals going forward.

Having the tariffs provides uncertainty; a trade deal provides long-term certainty, and thus I think you can make better decisions, he said.

So far, four Democratic candidates have announced theyre running against Zinke:

MTN asked Zinke if hed paid much attention to the candidates filing for his seat.

Not really, he said. This is not my first rodeo. You know, candidacies come up I think it keeps people nimble. If you don't like going out and talking to people, you shouldnt do the job.

Last week, as national Democrats continued to become more optimistic about the 2026 election, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced it was adding the 1

District to its list of Districts in Play indicating more attention on the race from outside the state.

The DCCC will spend the next nine months making sure that come November, Montanas First Congressional District elects a representative that finally puts them first, DCCC chair Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Washington, said in a statement.

Zinkes campaign account on X responded to an article about the DCCCs move.

Out of state liberals have their target on Montana, they said. We cant be bought!

The 2

Congressional District, which includes Billings, Great Falls, Helena and much of central and eastern Montana, is not on any lists of competitive districts. National election forecasters have classified it as solidly Republican. Downing is seeking his second term in the House, after winning by more than 30 percentage points in 2024.

Downing told MTN that affordability will again be a major concern for voters this year, but he believes the public is going to start feeling better about the economy soon.

You're seeing inflation coming down, you're seeing the economy grow, and you're seeing the buying power that's staying in the pockets of average Americans being higher, he said. So I think that that's the right path, that the policies of the president and this Congress have already pushed for.

Three other candidates have announced campaigns in the 2

District: two Democrats and one independent:

Downing told MTN he also hasnt spent much time focusing on the people running against him.

I believe that the reason I got elected into this is that my last four years in office as the state auditor, I showed up to work every day, and I actually did the work and I think that the voters appreciate that, he said. That's exactly what I'm going to continue doing now: I'm going to show up and do the work.

While candidates have already announced congressional runs and filed campaign finance paperwork, Tuesday will mark the start of the official candidate filing period when candidates must register with the Montana Secretary of States Office in order to get on the ballot. When the filing period closes on March 4, we will know exactly who is running in each of these races.

HELENA A group of four volunteers hit the sidewalks on Monday around Helenas downtown Walking Mall, with a pitch for passing voters.

They were gathering signatures to get Constitutional Initiative 132 a proposed measure that would amend the Montana Constitution to ensure the states judicial elections remain nonpartisan onto the November ballot.

There's many, many things we agree on, and that is the case with the courts, said Linda Gryczan, one of the signature gatherers. Is a Democrat or Republican judge going to make a better decision about your divorce?

Watch the video for the latest on where CI-132 stands:

Montana has required judicial candidates to run without political party labels since 1936. However, Republican lawmakers proposed a series of bills during the 2025 legislative session that would have changed that system.

CI-132 would add a section to the Montana Constitution, saying Judicial elections shall remain nonpartisan.

If voters pass it, it would essentially prevent the Legislature from switching to partisan elections without another voter-approved amendment.

Organizers with Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts, the committee backing CI-132, say theyve trained about 170 volunteers to gather signatures so far.

They include people like Nancy Sweeney, who served as Lewis and Clark Countys elected clerk of district court for 20 years.

We've had fair and impartial decisions for all that time, and to change it would be a mistake, she said.

Sweeney says the most common question shes heard from the people she talks to is why they should support an amendment that wouldnt make any changes to the status quo.

We need the amendment so we quit wasting time about it, she said. I think most Montanans would support keeping politics out of a lot of government business, but especially in the courts, and let the courts do what they do best, which is to decide impartially.

The arguments for adding party labels to judicial elections have come from many Montana Republicans, who argue the current system deprives voters of important information about how a judicial candidate sees the world and that it isn't actually unbiased, but in fact disadvantages conservatives.

Gov. Greg Gianforte said at an event last week that the courts were holding back policies like school choice, and that partisan judicial elections were needed to change that.

Meanwhile, CI-132 was a major topic during the Montana Republican Partys Winter Kickoff event in Great Falls on Friday. State party chair Art Wittich said Republicans plan to get more actively involved in the race for an open Montana Supreme Court seat this year, after court rulings have delayed or struck down a long list of Republican-backed laws.

We can control the legislature, we can elect a Republican governor, and we have great laws being overturned, he said. And we have to do something about it.

Wittich said defeating CI-132 would be one of the partys four biggest priorities for 2026.

It's phony, he said. The Democrats and the wings of the Democrat Party control the Montana Supreme Court races, and they have for many, many years.

One of the speakers at the kickoff event was Rob Natelson, a former law professor and political candidate from Montana, who pointed to dozens of lawsuits filed against Republican legislation since Gianforte took office in 2021. He argued GOP lawmakers were not deliberately passing unconstitutional bills and that the Supreme Court was overstepping its proper role.

The problem arises because the courts are both misinterpreting the state constitution, and because they are ignoring their own rule that democratically adopted laws must be sustained unless they're proved unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt, said Natelson.

Those in attendance also heard from Supreme Court candidate Dan Wilson, a Flathead County district court judge, who called himself a constitutional conservative and argued current Supreme Court justices had become activist.

MTN asked the CI-132 signature gatherers how they would respond to the argument that the current system had shown a bias to one side. Gryczan said making a change based on that feeling would be a mistake.

Your party may be the one that may be advantaged at first, but it will change, she said. It's far better if we have our judges on their fairness, on their education and their ability to make good decisions.

In order to get on the ballot, CI-132 will need at least 60,241 signatures from registered voters, including a minimum number in 40 of Montanas 100 state legislative districts. The deadline to get those signatures in will be in June.

A spokesperson for Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts told MTN Monday that theyve collected around 10,000 so far, but they havent been validated yet to confirm whether they are from eligible signers.

Three current and former Republican lawmakers have filed a lawsuit against the major property tax reform passed by the Montana Legislature last year, arguing that the way it was put together and passed violated the states constitution.

If we don't stop this and give the Legislature some guidance from the courts, we might as well get rid of that section of the constitution, Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, told MTN.

On Wednesday morning, Hertz, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Tom McGillvray, R-Billings and former Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, filed suit in state district court in Gallatin County. Theyre particularly focusing on Senate Bill 542, which, together with House Bill 231, completely reshaped the states property tax rates.

For 2025, the pair of bills established graduated tax rates with higher-value properties paying higher rates and they provided a one-time property tax rebate of up to $400. Starting in 2026, they created a homestead tax system, which lowers rates on Montanans primary residences, long-term rentals and small commercial properties, but raises them on properties that dont qualify.

WATCH COVERAGE BELOW:

SB 542 was originally a completely different proposal, which simply froze property valuations for two years. However, during the legislative process, lawmakers completely removed that original language and converted it into a vehicle for homestead rates and rebates.

The plaintiffs are arguing that the final version of SB 542 violated a provision in the Montana Constitution that says any appropriation of state money must be done through a bill containing but one subject. They said combining millions of dollars in rebates with the new rate structure was an attempt to get votes for policy that couldnt pass otherwise.

An appropriation for one-time cash rebates and permanent rate restructuring are oil and water fundamentally incompatible substances that cannot be constitutionally combined into one bill, no matter how vigorously the Legislature shakes them together, the lawmakers attorney wrote in their complaint.

They also argue the wholesale reshaping of the bill goes against a prohibition on a bill being so altered or amended on its passage through the legislature as to change its original purpose.

That's Washington, D.C., style politics you know, they have these 2000-page bills that weve got to pass it before we know what's in it, said Hertz. But that's not how it's done here in Montana.

The lawmakers are asking the court to strike down SB 542 in its entirety.

Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, was one of the primary legislative backers of the property tax plan. He had argued during the session that the rebates wouldnt have been necessary if lawmakers had passed the homestead proposal early in the session, but that the legislation was delayed in the process. He told MTN Wednesday that his comments only meant that adding the rebates was the best way to encourage property owners to take the steps needed to qualify for homestead rates. He said, while the exact language in SB 542 was new, the proposals themselves had been heavily debated throughout the session.

Jones said overturning SB 542 would harm Montana homeowners who dont have any other recourse at this point.

I'm concerned that 375,000 homeowners could be the losers thats the real risk, he said.

Hertz said during the legislative debate on SB 542 that he believed it was unconstitutional in its final form. He said the Legislature has taken action before that he thought was questionable under these constitutional provisions, but he believes this was especially egregious.

I think this particular bill, and there's a couple other bills, went beyond what we have done in the past but just because we've done it in the past doesn't mean that it's the right thing to do, he said.

These same provisions were also at issue in a 2022 decision, when a state judge invalidated part of one of Hertzs own bills, saying that last-minute amendments had changed its original purpose and violated the single-subject requirement. Its one of a number of recent decisions where Hertz and other Republican lawmakers have accused judges of overstepping on the Legislatures authority.

MTN asked Hertz about how this case compared with that case.

I have basically talked about how the courts have overstepped their constitutional limits, but that should apply to the Legislature also, he said. So we have overstepped our constitutional limits, and the courts are the ones who are going to have to bring us into following those again.

MTN reached out to Gov. Greg Gianforte's office for a response to the lawsuit.

While the governor's office doesn't generally comment on litigation, the governor is proud to have signed the only two property tax bills into law that reached his desk, cutting property taxes for 80% of Montana homeowners, a spokesperson said in a statement. If Senate Bill 542 is struck down, property taxes for Montana homeowners will increase significantly, reversing the relief that 80% of homeowners received.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated with comments from Gov. Greg Gianforte's office and from Rep. Llew Jones.

HELENA Anyone who wants to get a ballot measure in front of Montana voters in the 2026 elections has until mid-June to turn in thousands of signatures from registered voters.

Now, committees proposing initiatives are having to make decisions about how to get that work done.

Things have to align stars have to align, the time has to align, said Jeff Mangan, founder of the Transparent Election Initiative.

Watch the video for more on the current ballot measure campaigns:

TEI is campaigning for what it calls The Montana Plan: an attempt to go around the federal Citizens United decision by redefining the powers of corporations and other artificial persons to exclude spending money in elections.

This week, the Montana Supreme Court rejected TEIs initial proposal for an amendment to the Montana Constitution, saying it violated a state requirement that amendments only make one significant change at a time. Just a few days after, however, Mangan announced they had submitted two new proposed versions, which means they will have to go through the full legal review process again.

Even if we were starting to collect signatures today which we were hopeful that we'd be able to do, but clearly we're not that would be a significant effort for us to undertake in the state of Montana, said Mangan. Now, it will be a Herculean effort.

One of the new proposals is another constitutional amendment, revised in an attempt to get in compliance with the Courts ruling. It would now limit artificial persons powers by excluding political spending, then threaten to revoke their charter if they failed to comply.

The other proposal is similar, but would be a statutory initiative meaning it only changes state law, not the Montana Constitution. A statutory initiative is less permanent because it can be changed by the Montana Legislature without a vote of the people, but it doesnt have to comply with the single-change requirement for constitutional amendments.

Mangan says his preference is to move forward with the constitutional amendment, but at this stage of the process, he believes its important to keep open the greatest chance for voters to weigh in on this issue.

I ask citizens every day, Do you think there's too much money in politics? he said. They all say yes. When you boil it down, it's as simple as that. And we say that we have a way to get money out of politics, that's what they want to hear. They know that's what the Montana Plan is about, and that's how we're moving forward.

Meanwhile, two separate committees got cleared to begin collecting signatures on two separate initiatives with a single goal: amending the Montana Constitution to require that judicial elections remain nonpartisan. Now, those two groups are joining forces.

Constitutional Initiative 131 and Constitutional Initiative 132 were very similar. Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges, the group behind CI-131, began the process earlier. However, Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts, the sponsors of CI-132, had brought in significantly more money for their campaign.

On Thursday, MNC released a statement, announcing that MFIJ was withdrawing CI-131 and putting its support behind CI-132. In it, Ted Dick of MFIJ said there was a united effort to keep judicial elections nonpartisan.

Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges believes Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts has a strong policy and the resources to ensure the initiative qualifies for the ballot, which is why we have chosen to formally endorse CI-132, he said.

MNC officially began gathering signatures for CI-132 in November.

We know that Montanans want to protect their right to judicial elections free from the influence of political parties and politicians, said Caitie Butler, a spokesperson for MNC, in the statement. We are proud to stand with those who have endorsed CI-131 and CI-132 and begin the work of qualifying this critical initiative for the November ballot.

In order to qualify a ballot measure, it takes at least 30,121 signatures for a statutory initiative and at least 60,241 signatures for a constitutional amendment.

There are now five remaining active efforts to qualify initiatives for the 2026 ballot, according to the Montana Secretary of States Office. In addition to TEIs campaign and CI-132, they include:

HELENA One year before the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Montana, voters had already been seeing political ads on TV for more than three months. A year out from the 2026 Senate race, there hasnt been nearly the same kind of attention on it.

Republican Sen. Steve Daines will be up for a third term in 2026. His last reelection campaign in 2020 was one of the most closely watched and expensive Senate races in the country as were Democratic Sen. Jon Testers races in 2018 and 2024. But after Daines defeated then-Gov. Steve Bullock by 10 points and Tester lost reelection by seven points to Sen. Tim Sheehy, national political analysts like the Cook Political Report and Inside Elections have projected Daines seat as safe for Republicans next year.

Watch the video for more on next year's U.S. Senate race:

Daines has been a prominent ally of President Donald Trump, and in April, Trump endorsed him for reelection on Truth Social.

Steve Daines is a Great Man, and TREMENDOUS Senator, representing the Fantastic People of Montana, he wrote. I love Montana, won every one of my Races there by a landslide, and would only recommend the best to represent you in the Senate!

Still, several Democratic candidates have come forward so far to challenge Daines. The first was Reilly Neill, a former state lawmaker from Livingston. In 2024, Neill spent several months on a write-in campaign for Montanas eastern U.S. House seat, after she was frustrated that the Democratic nominee in the race chose not to raise or spend money on the campaign. As part of that effort, she traveled around central and eastern Montana holding town hall events.

As soon as I stepped up to the plate and started going to communities around Montana boy, there's so many people who haven't seen their congressional delegates in so long, she said.

After the 2024 election, Neill immediately announced she planned to run for Senate in 2026. Since then, she says shes held dozens more of those events with voters arguing many Montanans dont feel theyre getting adequate representation.

If we have an entire congressional delegation that's simply not showing up, the first person to show up they're going to get that engagement from Montanans, said Neill. They're going to be able to listen to their concerns and take their concerns to D.C. and represent them authentically. I think that we dropped the ball when it comes to being on the ground, especially in rural Montana for Democrats and for Republicans, for both parties.

Neill, 52, came to Montana in the late 1990s. She ran a weekly newspaper in Livingston for about ten years, and then published a free statewide publication called the Montana Press until the COVID-19 pandemic. She was elected to the Montana House in 2012 and served one term. In 2019, she announced a campaign for governor, but she withdrew before the 2020 primary.

Neill says Montana voters are increasingly frustrated by impacts from tariffs, rising costs and threats to health care and public assistance. She says one of her top concerns is protecting the right to vote.

Last month, another Democrat announced a run against Daines: Michael Black Wolf, of Hays. Hes a first-time candidate for office and says hes running because he believes average people arent getting what they need from their government.

I just looked at the national landscape from a political lens, and just wasn't seeing the American dream coming down to the everyday, hardworking Montanans, he said.

Black Wolf, 54, says hes worked in a variety of jobs, from security guard to school bus driver to tutor. Since 2014, hes worked for the Fort Belknap Indian Community as the tribal historic preservation officer. Earlier this year, he was planning to run for a seat on the tribal council this year, but he dropped out of that race and decided to take on a much bigger campaign.

Black Wolf says hed bring a working-class perspective to Congress, but hes not focusing on only one group.

When I get out and I start campaigning, I'm really going to pay attention and hear what all demographics of Montanans have to say, he said. I want to hear their concerns, their issues, and then really start working on how I'm going to best benefit every Montanan and not just a certain small 1% of Montanans.

Black Wolf also identifies tariffs which he calls import taxes as a major concern for Montana. He argues the states members of Congress are out of touch with their voters priorities.

A third Democratic candidate has also filed campaign finance paperwork for the 2026 Senate race: Michael Hummert of Helena. In 2024, Hummert ran against Tester in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. MTN reached out to Hummerts published campaign email address but did not hear back before this story aired.

In 2018, Montanas U.S. Senate race saw at least $63 million in spending by candidates and outside groups. In the 2020 race, which grew to more than $150 million, and by 2024, the state saw well over $250 million spent. So far, theres no indication that there will be anything like that type of spending in 2026.

MTN asked Neill and Black Wolf if they thought it would be a bigger challenge to take on a well-known incumbent without that type of advertising behind them.

Neill said campaigns do need money, and she argued its been a tougher task for Democrats to keep up since the Citizens United decision allowed unlimited spending from independent groups. However, she says the race is going to depend on the people, not on spending.

We don't need $150 million to win an election in Montana, she said. We need to get on the ground and listen to citizens concerns, because there's an entire delegation that's not doing that.

Black Wolf said he believes, if hes the nominee, his tribal background could draw more interest and support from outside the state of Montana. He said he talked over a possible run for a long time with family and friends before deciding to go for it.

I think one of my strengths is that I am very much a realist, and I know that this is going to be a very hard race, this is going to be a very long race but at the same time, I think this is also a very winnable race, he said.

HELENA Since Montana was divided into congressional districts again in 2022, the states 2

Congressional District has been dominated by Republicans.

But while its been a daunting challenge for Democrats, two Democratic candidates are running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Troy Downing in the 2026 election.

The 2

Congressional District includes most of central and eastern Montana, including Great Falls, Helena and Billings. In 2024, Downing won the election there by 32 percentage points over Democrat John Driscoll, as President Donald Trump won the district by 30 points. In 2022, U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale won more than half the vote against two major challengers, with independent Gary Buchanan in second place and Democrat Penny Ronning in third.

Downing, like 1

Congressional District U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, got an endorsement from Trump on Truth Social last week.

Troy bravely served our Great Country in the U.S. Air Force as a Combat Veteran and, in Congress, he is fighting tirelessly to Support our Farmers and Ranchers, Champion American Energy DOMINANCE by helping to keep the price of Gasoline, Oil, and all forms of Energy VERY LOW (CHEAP!), Help Secure our now VERY Secure (Record Setting!) Southern Border, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, Defend our always under siege Second Amendment, which has not been attacked, amended, or changed while I was President, and Restore PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, Trump wrote.

Watch the video to hear from the Democratic candidates who've announced they're running:

While the eastern district voted heavily for Trump, the two Democrats campaigning for House Brian Miller of Helena and Sam Lux of Great Falls argue some of those voters are becoming disillusioned with what the administration has done.

They thought they were going to get lower prices, better job creation and more stability, Miller said. I think that the effects of what people are seeing is really starting to hit them, and I think that some voters in Montana might do the unthinkable and actually vote for a Democrat in this election.

There are a lot of folks that feel underserved, said Lux. Not that they don't still identify as Republicans nor would I ask them not to but that they feel like the folks that they elected have not fulfilled the promises that they were led to believe they would.

Miller, 53, is an attorney. Originally from the Southeast, he says hes lived in Montana for most of the last 25 years. In 2007, after completing law school, he spent several years working for the Montana Supreme Court. Since 2010, hes worked with the Helena law firm Morrison, Sherwood, Wilson and Deola.

Miller says hes hearing from voters who are unhappy with Trumps position on trade and tariffs, with what he calls the federal governments aggressive tactics on immigration enforcement and with cuts in programs like Medicaid. Since deciding to run this summer, Miller has been delivering presentations around the district, talking about issues like immigration and his views on the countrys founding principles.

I think a lot of citizens right now feel like government is not listening to them, and that's something that I'm trying to do I'm listening to people, he said. And I think that whether you're a conservative or liberal or an independent, that's a very important element that people feel is missing right now.

Miller says hes willing to break with his party. He criticizes congressional Democrats for their handling of the government shutdown, saying they should have taken the deal that ended it sooner.

I'm first and foremost an independent-minded Montanan, he said. The party label is always going to be second for me personally.

Lux, 29, works as a farrier caring for horses hooves. He previously worked as a veterinary technician and in the tech industry before starting his own business, Lux Farrier Service. He says his work has introduced him to people across the eastern district, many of them farmers and ranchers, and given him a feel for the challenges theyre facing today.

Montana is a farming community regardless of how it's built up over the years, it's still a farming community, he said. I'm out there every day with them, I see what they go through, I know the price of wheat right now, I know how much it's cost them to make it, I know how hard it is to repair that equipment and that's the kind of person we need representing the farming community.

Lux grew up in California and says he came to Montana about six and a half years ago. Sam Lux is not his birth name; he says he began using it years ago because hes estranged from his father, and that hes always been known as Sam Lux in his businesses. He legally changed his name in Montana District Court this summer.

Lux maintains a distinct image for a political candidate, including wearing a red bandana as a symbol of his goal to encourage what he calls redneck Democrats.

It was the Democrats that stood up and were willing to go to the mat, and fight and die if necessary, to make sure that the working man was taken care of, he said.

Watch related coverage: Montana's western congressional district: Zinke up for reelection, two Democratic challengers

Both Miller and Lux are making their first runs for office. While theyre technically competitors for the Democratic nomination, they both say theyve become friendly during the campaign and that theyll each gladly support the other if they win the primary.

At the end of the day, we're both here to help people; were not here for just the personal glory and gain, Lux said. He's invited me out to his events, I've been inviting him out to my events, we try to work as closely as we can together.

We think that voters are going to see that the Montana Democratic Party is a party of people that care about each other, said Miller. Whoever wins, may the best man win, whoever the voters decide is the best person to represent them but we're not going to be tearing at each other.

EDITORS NOTE: This story follows a story on candidates in Montanas western congressional district, available here. On Thursday, MTN will look at candidates running in Montanas 2026 U.S. Senate race.

HELENA Theres now less than a year to go until the 2026 elections in Montana. Three members of Montanas congressional delegation are up for election next year, and a growing number of candidates are coming forward to challenge them.

In the states 1

Congressional District, Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, of Whitefish, will be up for another term. Zinke is in his second stint representing Montana in the U.S. House. When the state had only one House seat, Zinke held it from 2015 to 2017, resigning to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior for two years during President Donald Trumps first term. In 2022, Montana got back its second seat and Zinke successfully ran in the 1

District.

The 1

District includes most of western and southwestern Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. In 2024, Zinke defeated Democratic candidate Monica Tranel by seven percentage points. Trump also won the district that year, though Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester narrowly won it while losing statewide in his race for reelection.

Last week, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was endorsing Zinke for reelection.

During my Administration, Ryan and I worked together to Achieve Energy Independence, Increase Federal Energy Revenues, and to Build Energy Production, he wrote. In Congress, Ryan is fighting hard to Secure the Border, Stop Illegal Immigration, Grow the Economy, and Protect and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.

Watch the video to hear from two Democratic candidates who are challenging Zinke:

So far, two Democratic candidates have announced challenges to Zinke: Russell Cleveland, of St. Regis, and Matt Rains, of Simms. There are some parallels among the candidates. Both men have pointed to their backgrounds in agriculture, growing up in farm and ranch families. Both grew up in Montana, spent years away and then returned. Including Zinke, all three candidates have spent time in the military: Cleveland as a Navy aviation electrician, Rains as an Army helicopter pilot and Zinke as a Navy SEAL.

Cleveland was the first challenger to announce he was running, back in April. Since then, he says hes been spending his time meeting with voters in small towns across the district.

I focused nothing on parties; I really wanted to focus on issues, just to say, Hey, if someone was to come in and really represent Montana, what Montanans need, what would that look like? Cleveland said. So I built an entire platform based around what working Montanans really feel like they need from a representative.

Cleveland, 40, grew up in Stevensville. After the Army and other jobs, he ran a child care business in Colorado called Rocky Mountain Kids, which he said became one of that states largest providers during COVID. He returned to Montana with his family in 2021 and sold the business in October 2024.

Cleveland describes himself as a populist and says the Democratic Party needs to recenter itself on serving working Montanans.

We really need to focus on bringing jobs back to Montana, having an industry that supports the working class, getting people back into homes, more affordable housing, programs that really help with development of our youth and taking care of our veterans and seniors, he said.

Cleveland believes there are voters in the district who listened to Trumps message but wont be happy with the impacts of the administrations actions, especially on issues like tariffs.

Trump's message was focused on the working class, but some of the issues that have happened since have not helped the working class, he said.

He wants to focus his campaign on issues like affordability, environmental stewardship and protecting access to health care. One of his main priorities is addressing a campaign finance system that he says leaves elected officials not listening to the public.

Rains announced he was getting into the race last month, saying he believed the Montana way of life was under attack.

I know I've got the grit, determination, and experience to represent Montana the way we've always deserved, he said.

Rains, 45, grew up in Simms. After his army service, he spent time as an international photojournalist and an engineer. Most recently, he was the former chief of staff for the Montana Farmers Union. He argues his background gives him a way to communicate with Democratic and Republican voters alike.

I understand their way of life, what matters to them, and then I can bring who I am and how I can help them and help them understand it in a way that they connect with, he said. So, yeah, I speak a lot of languages in the state.

In 2019, Rains ran for Montanas at-large U.S. House seat before dropping out of the race to endorse eventual Democratic nominee Kathleen Williams. He ran unsuccessfully for the state Legislature in 2022.

In this election, he also wants to emphasize issues where he says Trump administration policies are doing real harm to Montanans including tariffs and the proposal to import beef from Argentina. He says Democrats should be able to make the case that they can use the tools of government to help make peoples lives better.

Rains lives in Cascade County, about 45 miles outside the western district. However, U.S. House candidates are only required to live in the state theyre running in, not the district. He argues his home is centrally located enough that he can serve the western district perfectly well and he says its most important that the Democratic nominee be someone who can go toe-to-toe with Zinke.

45 miles doesn't change the core essence of a Montanan, he said. When I talk to people, they're really excited that there's somebody in this race that has the background, the experience that can take Ryan Zinke down.

There could still be more candidates getting into this race. The deadline for candidates to file in Montanas 2026 elections will be March 4.

Tuesdays municipal elections across Montana featured six mayoral contests in the states largest cities.

While a couple featured incumbent candidates, residents in several cities will have new executives in office in the near future, the Daily Montanan reports. All of Montanas mayoral races are nonpartisan.

Heres a short roundup of the changes in city halls across the state. All results are considered unofficial.

In the states fastest growing city, Ryan Hunter, an incumbent city councilor supported by the Flathead County Democrats, won a three-way race against Republican-endorsed Kisa Davison and Sid Daoud, former chair of the Montana Libertarian Party. Hunter campaigned heavily on pushing for fair and responsible growth in the city, addressing the housing and homelessness crisis, and bolstering walkability and open spaces.

In the capital city, two sitting city commissioners with roots in Democratic politics faced off to replace Mayor Wilmot Collins, who served in the role since 2018.

Emily Dean held a 203-vote lead over Andy Shirtliff according to the countys unofficial votes, a reverse of the results of the citys primary election, which saw Shirtliff prevail. Dean was endorsed by Collins and City Commissioner Sean Logan.

With Billings Mayor Bill Cole on his way out of office, two city council members, a local businessman and a young political newcomer vied for the open seat to lead the states largest municipality.

Unofficial results show hotel owner and developer Mike Nelson with a 185-vote lead over city councilor Jennifer Owen, who has a background in law and community development. Montanas automatic recount law kicks in at a victory of less than 0.5%, and Nelsons lead is roughly 0.6%.

The narrow lead could change as the county elections department deals with rejected ballots that voters were able to fix on Wednesday, and counts provisional ballots.

Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis has been in office since winning a special election in 2023 to serve out former Mayor John Engens term after he died in 2022.

Davis won her first full four-year term this week over Shawn Knopp by roughly 38 percentage points. Davis said she was running for re-election to work to implement new land-use and zoning regulations to work on housing affordability in the city, as well as prioritizing sustainability and a clean environment.

Knopp had run on a platform of changing the status quo, increasing fiscal responsibility and addressing high property taxes.

The City of Bozeman has a unique governing system where mayors are elected two years out from when they begin their term, and serve as deputy mayor in the interim.

City Commissioner Douglas Fisher took a commanding lead over environmental lawyer John Meyer and a political neophyte Brendan OConnor, with 61.5% of the vote. Fisher was endorsed by six former and current mayors, including current Mayor Terry Cunningham and Deputy (and soon-to-be) Mayor Joey Morrison.

Great Falls was the only big city with a full-term incumbent mayor running for reelection. Mayor Cory Reeves, first elected in 2023, won his second term with 72.5% of the vote. He has drawn on his background in law enforcement, working for both the Great Falls Police Department and the Cascade County Sheriffs Office.

Daily Montanan

info@dailymontanan.com

HELENA - Theres a growing list of organizations trying to get constitutional amendments onto Montanas 2026 ballot. That now includes one proposal to revise the ballot measure process itself.

Watch the video for the latest on some of the proposed initiatives:

The group Montanans Decide announced it has submitted language to the Montana Secretary of States office for a proposed measure that would add more specifics to the right to propose a ballot initiative.

The Montana Constitution already guarantees the public the right to pass laws and constitutional amendments through ballot issues. However, some advocates say, in recent years, the state Legislature has passed laws making it more complicated to exercise that right.

They've implemented exorbitant fees in order to file an initiative, which I think is meant to deter the average Montanan from participating in the process, said SK Rossi, a spokesperson for Montanans Decide. They've layered in a lot of bureaucracy and administrative rigamarole meant to make it harder for signature gatherers to gather signatures, and generally kind of gum up the works.

The groups proposed initiative would amend the state Constitution to say people have a right to impartial, predictable, transparent, and expeditious processes for proposing, qualifying for the ballot, and submitting ballot issues. It specifically says that should include reasonably ample time to gather signatures, timely resolution of legal challenges and a prohibition on the invalidation of any signature or petition due to a technical or minor deficiency.

We know that Montanans care deeply about their ability to propose and vote on laws that affect their lives, and this is our effort to make sure that happens, Rossi said.

Read the proposed initiative language below:

Montanans Decides proposal also says the government should only be allowed to modify the language an initiative sponsor submits to appear on the ballot if they are not a true and impartial explanation expressed in plain, easily understood language. Thats a point of debate thats sprung up in several recent initiative campaigns and its now appearing again for one of the other 2026 proposals: Constitutional Initiative 131, which would keep political party labels off the ballot in Montana judicial elections.

The Montana Attorney Generals Office is tasked with reviewing proposed initiatives to see if they comply with state law. At the same time, they check the sponsors statement of purpose and implication, to determine whether it clearly explains the proposal and doesnt create prejudice for or against the issue.

Last month, Attorney General Austin Knudsens office declared CI-131 was legally sufficient, and supporters could begin collecting signatures. However, they rejected the sponsors proposed ballot statement. The office submitted its own language, saying, A non-partisan election prohibits labeling candidates on the ballot according to the political party the candidate aligns with including labels like independent.

Read the Attorney General's office's ruling on CI-131:

Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges, the committee backing CI-131, filed suit with the Montana Supreme Court, saying the Attorney General hadnt given enough justification for replacing the statement and that the new language was prejudicial and misleading and implied nonpartisan elections would conceal information from voters.

This is exactly the kind of argumentnot descriptionthat belongs in the opponent arguments section of the Voter Information Pamphlet, not the ballot statement itself, the groups complaint said.

Read Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges' complaint:

Another committee, Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts, has submitted its own proposal for a constitutional initiative maintaining nonpartisan judicial elections, currently going through the Attorney Generals legal review. It has also supported the lawsuit, saying the Attorney Generals decision was a dangerous precedent to play political games with preferential ballot language.

Chase Scheuer, a spokesperson for Knudsens office, responded to the lawsuit in a statement to MTN.

Attorney General Knudsen looks forward to defending his proposed ballot language that clearly explains the implications of non-partisan elections, he said.

In addition to Montanans Decide and the two campaigns for nonpartisan judicial elections, the Montana Secretary of States Office has reported three other active efforts to qualify ballot measures for 2026:

In order for a constitutional amendment to qualify for the ballot, sponsors must collect at least 60,241 signatures from registered voters, including a minimum threshold in 40 of the states 100 legislative districts. A statutory initiative which only changes state law, not the Montana Constitution needs at least 30,121 signatures and a minimum number in 34 districts.

LIVINGSTON - If there was one clear theme at the Montana Democratic Partys state convention Sunday, its that party members are ready to get back to winning.

We as Democrats have one job, Shannon OBrien told delegates. We must come together to do what?

Win! they responded.

Watch the video to hear more from the Democratic convention's vote for a new party chair:

On Sunday morning, 160 delegates gathered in Livingston to vote for party officers to serve the next two years. They elected OBrien, a former state senator and educational administrator from Missoula, as the partys new chair.

Democrats lost their last statewide elected official last year, when U.S. Sen. Jon Tester was defeated by Republican Tim Sheehy. Tester is the only Democrat whos won statewide in Montana since 2016.

OBrien served in the Senate from 2021 to 2024 and was the Democratic nominee for Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction last year. She admitted 2024 was rough for Montana Democrats.

It was a gut punch for all of us, she told delegates in her nominating speech.

But she argued the party can turn things around, and their values will help them do it.

We're the party of affordability, good-paying jobs, we're not the party for tax cuts for the billionaires and the wealthiest and let me be clear: We are the party of liberty and justice for all, she said. I will do everything I can to bring us together for these values.

The other candidate for chair was Mike Jopek, who represented Flathead County in the state House from 2005 to 2010. He said Democrats needed to make a bigger break from their recent history.

Now we're doing nothing but losing, he said. I know that's a hard message for you guys to hear, but it's the truth. We're going to have to become a party bigger than just two college towns.

Jopek, a farmer, had support from Tester and former Gov. Brian Schweitzer. During Sundays convention, a Jopek backer played a call from Tester over the speakers. The former senator said the party was in trouble.

We are seen in polling as woke and weak; we are no longer seen as the party of working people or Main Street businesses, said Tester. So the Montana Democrat Party needs to change direction.

In the end, OBrien won the chair with 112 votes, to Jopeks 39.

MTN asked OBrien after the vote if there was frustration within the party.

No doubt about it, Montana Democrats have fire in the belly and want to make some changes, she said. And we need to focus that energy on getting Democrats elected and supporting those values of affordability, of quality public education and health care that will serve all Montanans.

Many of the people running for party leadership Sunday echoed the message that Democrats need to do more to get out to places and people they havent been reaching.

We can't just keep preaching to the choir, said Max Johansen, the chair of the Park County Democrats, who initially announced a run for state chair but instead ran for and one the vice-chair position. We need to meet people where they are, both in person and digitally.

Sunday was the second day of the convention. On Saturday, delegates voted on proposals to amend the partys bylaws. One of the changes they approved calls for MDPs executive director to provide quarterly reports on party finances.

HELENA - Almost four months after the end of the Montana Legislatures 2025 session, theres still one bill that passed the Legislature but hasnt become law or been vetoed: Senate Bill 437.

Republican leaders say theyre delaying that bill on purpose, in an effort to keep it from being held up in court.

By holding SB 437, were making sure this legislation has the strongest chance to stand, House Speaker Rep. Brandon Ler, R-Savage, said Monday in a statement shared by House Republican staff. We will not sit back while partisan judges try to erase what the peoples representatives have enacted.

SB 437, sponsored by Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, seeks to define a persons sex as being either male or female and fixed at birth. It followed SB 458, a similar bill from Glimm in the 2023 legislative session, which was blocked by a state district judge.

After a bill passes both chambers of the Legislature, the House speaker and Senate president must each sign off on it before it goes to the governors desk to be signed into law or vetoed. House Republicans said Monday that Ler was choosing not to give his signature so that it can be held at this step in the process.

Montanans sent us here to make law, not to let activist judges tear it down the moment the ink dries, he said in the statement. We refuse to hand the judiciary an easy path to lump these cases together and stall the will of the people. Thats why we are being deliberate with the timing on SB 437.

A group of plaintiffs challenged SB 458 after the 2023 session, saying it discriminated against transgender and intersex Montanans. In February, a judge in Missoula ruled the law violated the Montana Constitutions rights to privacy and equal protection. The state announced it would appeal that decision.

A lawsuit was filed this week, seeking to block the appointment of a state lawmaker to run the Montana Department of Commerce.

Last month, Gov. Greg Gianforte picked Rep. Marta Bertoglio, R-Clancy, to be Commerce director. She resigned from the House to take the position.

The Montana Constitution says state lawmakers cant be appointed to any civil office under the state, during the term for which he shall have been elected. The lawsuit, filed by a Jefferson County man who lives in Bertoglios former House district, argues that should include the entire term, even if the lawmaker resigns first.

Unconstitutional gubernatorial appointments send the message that part-time citizen legislators who in 2025 made a salary of $128.86 per day might win a six-figure golden ticket to an appointed state civil office, if they promote a governors political interests over the needs of their own constituents, the plaintiffs attorneys wrote in a filing in state district court.

The suit calls for the court to rule that Bertoglios appointment was unconstitutional and block her from exercising the directors authority.

The complaint points to three other appointments Gianforte made that it argues were unlawful:

It does not mention Gianfortes selection of Sen. Ryan Osmundson, R-Buffalo, as his state budget director in 2021. At the time of that appointment, MTN reported that some had raised questions about whether it met constitutional requirements, but that it wasnt clear whether the budget director was a civil office.

The lawsuit points to a 1927 Montana Supreme Court case that said a civil office means any public office not of a military character, and to sections in state law that define department directors as being public officers, to justify those positions being civil offices.

MTN reached out to Gianfortes office for comment on the lawsuit. A spokesperson said Bertoglios appointment was made after she submitted her resignation.

Gianforte's office also pointed to a letter from the governors general counsel to the law firm handling this suit. In it, the counsel cited the same 1927 case, which stated civil offices must have authority independently and without control of a superior power, other than the law. She argued agency directors do not count because their authority is all subject to the governors supervision.

Theres already been a replacement for Bertoglio in the House. Jefferson County commissioners selected Mark Reinschmidt, who was one of three nominees selected by the county Republican central committee. Reinschmidt was officially sworn into office last week.

Three state senators are now suing the party, after they were kicked out of the state GOP convention in June. In the latest sign of an ongoing rift within the Montana Republican Party.

Watch the video for more on what led up to the lawmakers' lawsuit:

Sens. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton; Denley Loge, R-St. Regis and Shelley Vance, R-Belgrade, filed suit this week in state district court in Lewis and Clark County.

They argued their exclusion from the convention violated party rules and their rights as lawmakers.

The three senators were part of the group commonly called The Nine: nine Republican senators who repeatedly broke with their party leadership during the Montana Legislatures 2025 session.

Ellsworth told MTN on Wednesday that he believed the lawsuit was a necessary step to push back against a state party that was seeking to control lawmakers actions.

That's not Republican; Republican is where you do allow for individualism, he said. So I think Montanans need us to do this. If not, we're heading down a dangerous path as a Republican Party.

The nine senators frequently split with Senate GOP leaders and voted with Democrats on procedural matters, as well as on key votes on issues like the state budget.

A majority of delegates at the GOP convention in June voted to overturn the outgoing party chairs ruling and exclude The Nine from participating because of their actions during the session.

The plaintiffs said they attempted to appeal the decision within the party, but leaders havent responded to them.

The lawsuit claims the state party essentially changed its rules by removing duly elected members, and that the Montana GOP bylaws require a two-thirds majority to make such a change.

It also argues the partys actions violated lawmakers legislative immunity.

MT GOP does not hold the elected office and has no right to condition association on MT Republicans voting at the direction of Senate Leadership or MT GOP leadership, the senators attorney wrote. When attempting to control Senate votes through rebuke, censure and ouster, it has usurped MT Republicans elected offices.

Ellsworth defended the Nines actions during the session, saying they were responding to Senate leadership attempting to sideline them, and that they got things done for Montanans in areas like property tax reform.

We're not elected by our party, he said. We are elected by the people, that vote, and we represent them.

Delegates elected Art Wittich as party chair at the June convention. The lawsuit asks the court to order a new election of party leadership, with the nine included in the vote.

We're not looking to be punitive, Ellsworth said. I have no issue with the people that got elected. I know a lot of them personally. I think a lot of them are very good people. But it's about the process.

MTN reached out to the state GOP for comment on the senators lawsuit. Tyler Newcombe, the partys executive director, responded in a statement.

Frankly, were confused as to why theyre upset, he said. You cant quit the team, suit up for the other side, and then sue the coach for benching you. By organizing with Democrats, The Nine removed themselves from the Republican Party. All we did was recognize what they had already made clear through their votes and their alliances.

The senators attorney in this case is Joan Mell, who also represented Ellsworth this year in an ethics investigation into his handling of a state contract while serving as Senate president.

The Senate voted in April to bar Ellsworth from the floor of the chamber and remove his committee assignments in response to the investigations findings.

MTN asked Ellsworth if he believed that the investigation would have any impact on this lawsuit, and he said he saw them as two separate issues.

I would imagine people are going to try to spin it that way in some degree, he said. I would hope that the public would look at what it is, and what the issue that's being brought about is.

The Montana Legislatures 2025 session was marked by tensions and while its been almost three months since the session ended, some of the divisions that emerged within the two major parties are now back on display.

Watch the video for more on what's bringing intraparty disagreements into the open:

This week, MTN journalists were mailed copies of a document that points to disagreements within the Legislatures Democratic caucuses.

The 22-page document, titled Tangible Damages, lays out an argument that cooperation between Democrats and some Republicans had undermined Democratic priorities.

This so-called working majority repeatedly worked against Democratic values, it read.

The report particularly claimed that the alliance had empowered Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte and his allies at the expense of Democrats proposals on budget and tax policy, and that Democrats working with Republicans should have done more to stop "'far right policies attacking trans people.

The document was mailed anonymously and was received by multiple journalists and a number of lawmakers. It purported to come from a group called United Democrats, and came with an unsigned letter criticizing lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Rep. Katie Sullivan, D-Missoula, over the document.

However, the return address listed was Sullivans public Post Office Box in Missoula, while the envelope was postmarked from Billings.

Sullivan confirmed in a statement to MTN that the document came out of a request she made to House Democratic staff, asking for feedback on what her caucus did well this session and what they could have done better.

This document is just one result, and one person's perspective, Sullivan said. Some I agree with, some I disagree with, and some I would have phrased it differently. It's just one perspective and it's not the only feedback I have collected. I understand it upset a lot of people.

Sullivan said she didnt know who was responsible for the mailer, and that she considered the use of her PO Box fraudulent and had reported it to authorities.

I wish I knew who it was so I could talk to them in person, she said.

Sullivan said Democrats did have successes during the session, passing more bills than they had in a long time.

Dems have their eye on the prize and that is making Montana better, she said. Disagreements happen, but we can overcome this.

Cooperation between Democrats and Republicans was most visible on the Senate side, where a group of nine Republicans frequently broke with their party leaders on procedural votes.

Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, frequently pointed to the working majority as a success, allowing for the passage of legislation like the renewal of Medicaid expansion.

MTN reached out to Flowers about the Tangible Damages document.

Differences of opinion within a political party arent just inevitable, theyre healthy, he said in a statement. I am proud of the work every one of our Democratic legislators did this session and I know that well continue to work together on the hard problems facing people across Montana.

Leaked documents arent the only sign of party disagreements spilling out into the public. In some parts of Montana, residents are hearing them right on their phones.

Over the last two months, a series of robocalls have gone out, attacking Republican lawmakers considered to be aligned with the Solutions Caucus, a more moderate faction.

Llew Jones is at it again: Hes gobbling up our tax dollars to pay for more public spending, one of the calls began.

What I'm getting is, folks up here are feeling harassed, said Jones, R-Conrad.

The recordings dont include any attribution, and they appear from multiple different numbers. In Jones case, they criticize him for working with Democrats and voting against bills to allow party labels in judicial elections, and they accuse him of supporting out-of-control government spending.

Jones said the calls have primarily gone to residents in his district. He believes they arent going to have a significant impact on his voters.

The people that call me, they know this is not coming from their neighbors, they know it's coming from somewhere across the state, right? he said. They don't like it because it's not being attributed, it's kind of bushwhacking from the dark they really don't like when it spoofs local numbers. So I usually get a call to say, Hey, we got your back, how do we make these calls stop?

The staunchly conservative Montana Freedom Caucus has posted recordings of calls against Jones and Rep. George Nikolakakos, R-Great Falls, on its social media accounts. Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Jerry Schillinger, R-Circle, denied knowing who was behind the calls but said caucus members agreed with their message.

They totally blew off their voters, he said of Jones and his allies. They disrespected what their voters thought they were getting in a conservative majority in the Senate to carry out a conservative agenda.

Schillinger said Jones represented a big-government agenda and that conservative lawmakers were increasingly dissatisfied. He said he believed the arguments in the robocalls would resonate with voters.

Growing government and continuing to take more and more taxpayer dollars than what we budgeted for isn't good for the state, he said.

MTN asked Schillinger if he was troubled by reposting anonymous attacks.

I don't think that's anything new, he said. As far as I know, political ads and calls get done like that all the time.

If we felt it wasn't true, we certainly wouldn't repost it, he added.

Jones said he would stand by his votes. He said investments like the billion-dollar state trust fund he supported this session would be important for keeping up with needs like infrastructure maintenance in the largely rural district he represents.

I try to vote for this district 100% [of the] time, he said. I would argue it's conservative. I don't know how it's not conservative to fix stuff before you fail.

The GOP splits from the 2025 session has remained visible in other ways as well. At the state party convention last month, delegates blocked the nine Republican senators who were part of the working majority from voting.

The Montana Freedom Caucus, which dubbed those senators the Nasty Nine, later put out a list of 12 House members, including Jones and Nikolakakos, that it called the Dirty Dozen. In recent weeks, lawmakers allied with the Freedom Caucus and the Solutions Caucus have gone back and forth with each other in a series of op-eds.

There are now just over ten months left until the June 2026 primary elections, when some of these intraparty splits could again be important.

Home schooling numbers are on the rise in Big Sky Country.

According to enrollment numbers from the Montana Office of Public Instruction in 2024, there were an estimated 8,524 home-schooled students, which represented an increase of 725 students, or 9.3% from the previous year.

With five kids, Lindsey Nehring and her husband, Rich, have their hands full.

Our oldest boys are 16 and 14. Sadie (our daughter) is 12, Blake is eight. And then our little guy is one and a half, said Lindsey Nehring.

Before moving to Great Falls, Richs job kept the family on the move, which is when they took the home-schooling route and after nine years, they havent looked back.

Since that point, we've just fallen in love with the lifestyle, said Lindsey.

Lindsey and Rich are both products of public schools. They have nothing against the public system and are firm believers in choice.

My oldest is actually attending CMR right now, going into his junior year, said Lindsey. So I feel strongly it's really nice to have options.

Lindsey feels the argument of a lack of socialization for home-schooled kids is a myth.

I feel like there's so much opportunity and so many engaging activities for homeschoolers now that really it's almost hard to protect our schedule, said Lindsey.

Lindsey manages a robust Facebook page for homeschoolers and leads a homeschool co-op.

The last legislative session saw the passage of House Bill 778.

It doesn't affect really much in the day-to-day life of homeschooling families in Montana, said Lindsey. But what it does do is it separates legally home schools from private schools. The other main thing it does is it removes the requirement for homeschool families to keep immunization records and provide them to the superintendent if they're requested.

Passage of House Bill 778, along with changing perceptions of the educational practice, is something that supporters hope to put homeschooling on the upswing.

The most important thing it does it just continues to protect the homeschool freedoms that we have for families in Montana, said Lindsey.

Great Falls Public Schools is using technology to help homeschool students.

We have purchased more licenses for our online platform to support homeschool families or families from out of district that are looking for a remote platform, said Great Falls Public Schools Executive Director of Student Achievement Jackie Mainwaring.

The platform is free of charge to parents of secondary students and spots are limited, but Mainwaring says it's easy to apply.

If folks are interested, they can go to our website right on our main page, said Mainwaring. There is a link if you scroll down just a little bit, it says online school, and that gives a lot more information and a place to fill out a quick application.

GFPS has actually offered the online platform since the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is an accredited program. We have certified licensed teachers providing the credit, said Mainwaring. And it's flexible to accommodate people's schedules and personal needs.

While the Nehrings have yet to participate, they appreciate the districts flexibility.

I feel like the public schools have been really flexible in the last few years, inviting homeschoolers to participate in sports, in taking part-time classes at the public schools, or participating in online school, said Lindsey.

Delegates of the Montana Republican Party gathered in Helena Saturday to choose the partys next chair a process that took several hours and rules battles to complete.

The party picked Art Wittich, an attorney and former state lawmaker from Gallatin County, to lead them for the next two years.

Watch the video to see the debates during Saturday's party convention:

Wittich will replace Don K Kaltschmidt, who chaired the Montana GOP for the last six years. Over that time, Republicans won all the statewide elections in Montana and held firm control of the state Legislature but Wittich said Saturday that he doesnt believe thats translated into the kind of conservative policy victories theyve been hoping for.

Were not delivering on the full results the voters expect, he told delegates in a speech before Saturdays vote. We are a 55% red state. We did not get 55% ideas out of the Legislature.

Initially, 241 delegates participated in the partys officers convention. However, almost immediately, there was a rules fight over whether the group of state senators known as the Nine should be allowed to vote.

The nine senators drew criticism from other Republicans during this years legislative session, when they broke with party leadership and sided with Democrats on a series of key procedural votes. In April, the state partys executive committee released a statement saying they were no longer considered by the MTGOP as Republicans.

While Republican elected officials are entitled to vote at the state convention, some delegates challenged the Nine, arguing the April statement meant they were no longer eligible to represent the party.

It is us who decides who is Republican, said Rep. Jane Gillette, R-Three Forks. Our executive board, through the powers vested to them through us electing those leaders, voted to declare the Nine not recognized Republicans in our private association, GOP.

Kaltschmidt said, regardless of what he thought of the Nine, he didnt believe party rules allowed him to remove their credentials.

While the Executive Committee has expressed a clear belief about the senators, the Executive Committee does not have the ability to amend the party's bylaws unilaterally, he said. The nine senators are elected Republicans, and our rules make them members of this convention.

But delegates forced a roll-call vote on whether to uphold Kaltschmidts ruling.

Some in attendance said those seeking to remove the Nine were trying to change rules that people had already agreed on.

Imagine if you were in one of these counties with the Evil Nine, and you show up, and you're not getting that vote for your county, for the representatives that we are to vote on, said Jason Stephenson, chair of the Big Horn County Republican Central Committee. So I'm asking you guys, think about fairness.

But, after 20 minutes of roll-call voting, Kaltschmidt announced 136 delegates had voted to reopen the issue of credentials, with 97 voting to sustain his decision and 3 abstaining. A majority of the body then took a second vote to accept all the delegates except the Nine. The senators along with proxy voters representing several of them were asked to give up their seats at the event.

After the rules issues, leaders opened voting for the next party chair. There were four candidates for the position. In addition to Wittich, they included:

Delegates voted by ballot. No candidate received a majority after the first round, so Wittich and Zinn, the top-two finishers, moved on to a second round.

Wittich was backed by some of the most conservative members of the party, including an endorsement from the Montana Freedom Caucus. During his speech before the vote, he criticized the property tax legislation passed during this years session, and he said lawmakers havent done enough to promote judicial transparency and election integrity. He also said he would establish a conservative governance committee that would vet and endorse candidates for office.

I think that, if we show that conservative governance works we're a red state, we could become a bright red state, he told delegates after his election.

Kaltschmidt told MTN he thought the delegates had made the right selection, and that their actions Saturday signaled that they wanted the party to unify in the Legislature as well as the voting booth.

Wittich will be party chair for a two-year term, continuing through the 2026 elections and the 2027 legislative session.

Up to this week, Gov. Greg Gianforte had signed more than 700 bills into law and vetoed almost 40 more but Friday was his deadline to take action on the last major budget bills still unresolved from the Montana Legislatures 2025 session.

The biggest bill by far is House Bill 2, the states main appropriations bill, which lays out more than $16 billion in state spending for the next two years.

Gianforte signed the bill but used his line-item veto power to remove about $31 million of that.

Watch the video for more details on the spending Gianforte struck out:

In his letter announcing the line-item vetoes, Gianforte said the budget was balanced but included unnecessary spending.

We have an obligation to be good stewards of taxpayer resources, regardless of whether we are in more promising fiscal times or more challenging fiscal times, he wrote. Protecting taxpayers requires us to make tough decisions, prioritizing what is necessary over what would be nice to have.

The sections Gianforte struck out included:

HB 2 passed with support from both Republicans and Democrats, but many of the most conservative Republicans opposed it, saying it raised spending too much. Some of them had called on Gianforte to use his authority to trim the budget.

The line-item vetoes drew immediate criticism from legislative Democrats.

Im really disappointed in the Governors line-item vetoes of HB 2, House Minority Leader Rep. Katie Sullivan, D-Missoula, said in a statement. House Democrats worked hard this session to secure investments in making life more affordable for Montanans, but these are the items that Gianforte put on the chopping block. Montanas budget is a statement of our values, and with these cuts, Governor Gianforte is telling us loud and clear that his priorities are not with working families.

Because HB 2 didnt pass the Legislature with two-thirds support in each chamber, there will be no mail-ballot poll to see if lawmakers could override Gianfortes line-item vetoes.

Gianforte signed four other bills. Among them were House Bill 5, the long-range building bill that includes hundreds of millions of dollars in construction on state facilities, like upgrades at the Montana State Hospital and Montana State Prison. He also signed House Bill 924, which sets up a massive new state trust; it will take in hundreds of millions of dollars to be held and reinvested, with the interest funding programs ranging from infrastructure to child care to property tax assistance.

The governor also vetoed six more bills, bringing his total to 45 bills vetoed this session almost twice as many as in 2023. For most of them, he cited the cost as he has in many of his vetoes this year.

The six vetoes include:

While Gianforte has now made his final decision on all these bills, the results of the 2025 legislative session are still not entirely settled. Lawmakers are still voting in several more polls on potential veto overrides, and HB 628 and 831 also received enough support to qualify for polls.

Montana has been at the center of debates about money in politics for more than a decade.

In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a century-old state law banning corporations from directly spending money in political campaigns.

Now, an organization is proposing a novel legal approach that they argue could circumvent that ruling.

I want to move back to a time where elections were elections, campaigns were campaigns, you knew what was being said, you knew who was running, you had the ability to ask them questions, said Jeff Mangan. I want to get back to that, and I'm going to do everything that I darn well can to ensure that that happens.

Watch the video for more on how supporters aim to get around the Citizens United decision:

Mangan formerly served as Montanas Commissioner of Political Practices, the states top campaign cop. Now, hes leading the Transparent Election Initiative. On Wednesday, he held a video conference to announce what he called The Montana Plan, a campaign to put a ballot measure before voters in 2026 that would seek to redefine corporations powers so they dont include political spending.

Mangan argued that states have long held the authority to limit what powers they grant corporations, but they havent used that power for decades.

During Wednesdays conference, Mangan was joined by former U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and former Gov. Marc Racicot.

I don't think I have run into one of my fellow citizens in the state of Montana and got engaged in a conversation about politics where the notion about spending, money in politics, has not been a matter of grave concern and great disdain, said Racicot, who served two terms as a Republican in the 1990s but has in recent years been increasingly critical of and criticized by the party.

Former Gov. Steve Bullock was also scheduled to speak during the event, but was unable to attend.

The U.S. Supreme Courts 2010 Citizens United decision said political speech is protected under the First Amendment, even when that speech comes from a corporation. The effect was to allow corporations to make unlimited political expenditures as long as they are officially independent of a campaign.

The Court heard a case from the conservative group American Tradition Partnership in 2012, challenging Montanas Corrupt Practices Act. The law, initially passed in 1912, prohibited corporations from spending on elections. In a brief ruling, the Court held 5-4 that the law was clearly invalid based on the Citizens United precedent, and that the state hadnt shown any reason to distinguish the two cases.

Since that time, Montana has experienced a series of campaigns with massive spending and a huge volume of political ads. Several of them involved Tester, a Democrat. The 2024 U.S. Senate election saw more than $250 million in spending, as current Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy defeated Tester.

You might say, Well, geez, Jon, you're mad because you got outspent, Tester said Wednesday. No, I'm told that my side actually put more money out there than their side. The fact is that this is not good for democracy, and that's why this needs to change.

Mangan said the language for this proposal is still being written. He acknowledged its certain to face legal challenges, but argued using the states authority to control corporations powers would not be the same as limiting the rights Citizens United said they were entitled to. He said it would be a new legal question the Supreme Court hasnt answered yet.

Why hasn't anybody done this or thought about this before? I think we just got complacent, said Mangan. I think Citizens United passed and in some states, including Montana, and when I was commissioner, some of our disclosure and things got shut down because of the freedom of speech argument. I think we just resigned to the fact that that wasn't going to change. We didn't look for other innovative solutions to the problem. This is an innovative solution.

Ballot issue campaigns in Montana have also become expensive in recent years. MTN asked Mangan how this campaign would seek to raise money, and if that could open them to charges that theyre not practicing what they preach.

I'm not naive enough to think we can do it all-volunteer; I know we're going to have to raise money, but that's how I perceive and how I'd like to see it go, he said. That being said, I'm an open book. I want this to be transparent. Even though under the current law, we could raise money and not provide transparency to what that money is and who's giving money to the campaign or to the C4, we're going to make all that public, fully transparent. I'm putting my money where my mouth is on that, and I'm going to overreport.

Montana voters approved Initiative 166 in 2012 in a response to Citizens United, which said corporations should not be entitled to constitutional rights and called for prohibiting corporate campaign expenditures. It received almost three-quarters of support, but it didnt have any practical impact.

The Montana Legislature has overturned one of Gov. Greg Gianfortes vetoes for the first time this year.

Watch the video for the latest on Gianforte's vetoes:

It takes two-thirds support from both the House and the Senate to enact a bill into law over the governors objection.

On Friday, the Montana Secretary of States Office reported 76 House members and 37 senators had voted to override the veto of House Bill 368.

HB 368, sponsored by Rep. Gary Parry, R-Colstrip, redirects $2 million a year in coal severance tax revenue from the state general fund to a new state account.

That money would be saved up, with the goal that it would help Colstrip pay for a water system if the power plants there closes down in the future.

The citys current system, which draws water from the Yellowstone River, was built by and still operated by the owners of the plant. The water is used both in the plants and in the community.

When the plants go away and we know people are working hard to get rid of coal I wanted to make sure Colstrip has the ability to get water at the end of the day, said Parry.

Parry said, if the city needs to replace one of the existing main water lines, it could cost $80 million. He said HB 368 was a way to get that money ready gradually.

In his veto letter, Gianforte said he appreciated the goal of the bill, but expressed concern that it said the money may be used for a water supply, instead of shall be used for that purpose.

When allocating funding to local projects, I believe that funding should come with appropriate sideboards and guardrails, Gianforte wrote. Unfortunately, House Bill 368 does not.

Parry told MTN it was never his intention that the money be used for any other purpose, and he committed to work with the governor during the next legislative session to clarify the language.

However, he said he still encouraged lawmakers to override the veto so they could get started immediately on funding the account, instead of waiting two years. He said hes grateful for the support he got from other lawmakers.

Parry said, if the Colstrip plants remain open or if theres a future transition to another type of energy production there, like the small nuclear facilities hes expressed interest in the money in the account could be returned to the general fund.

After a legislative session ends, if the governor vetoes a bill that received more than two-thirds support in both chambers, the Secretary of State conducts a mail poll of lawmakers to see if they want to overturn the veto.

So far, 16 of those polls are being conducted. Eight of them are done, and HB 368 was the only one where more than 80 lawmakers voted to override. It takes a minimum of 100 votes for a successful override.

As of Friday, Gianforte has vetoed 39 bills nine of them coming between June 6 and June 13.

In many cases, hes cited the cost of those bills. All told, the ones hes vetoed so far have included more than $60 million in annual spending and more than $20 million in one-time spending.

The largest single price tag was Senate Bill 537, from Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, which would have used about $35 million a year in marijuana tax revenue for law enforcement and behavioral health programs.

With the latest round of vetoes, this is not only the most bills Gianforte has rejected from a single session, its also more vetoes than the 2019 session the last time Montana had a Democratic governor and a Republican Legislature.

There are only about a dozen bills from the 2025 session Gianforte hasnt taken action on yet, but they include several of the biggest: House Bill 2, the $16 billion main state budget bill; House Bill 5, which includes more than $100 million for long-term construction projects; and House Bill 924, which would place hundreds of millions of dollars into a new state trust.

Those bills were officially sent to Gianfortes desk on June 10. He will have 10 days until June 20 to decide whether to sign them, veto them, strike out specific items in a line-item veto or allow them to become law without his signature.

Child car seat laws in Montana are now a little more robust following House Bill 586 being signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte.

Most seat belt laws are left to states, and Montana passed its first legislation on the topic in 1987.

Laws regarding child passenger protection have only been updated three times in the past 25 years, the Daily Montanan reports.

Rep. Marc Lee, a Butte Democrat, brought the bill, which sought to tighten standards to increase safety for small children riding in cars. It had significant bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

Lee has been a Butte firefighter for three decades, is a certified instructor on car safety for kids and teaches first responders and nurses proper child vehicle restraint practices.

While teaching these classes to the groups I mentioned, we as instructors used to half-heartedly joke about how weak Montanas laws are when it comes to child passenger safety, Lee said during a House Transportation Hearing on the bill. He said the realization spurred him to sponsor the bill. The legislation adds definitions for booster seats, child safety restraint systems and properly restrained.

Prior to the change, the laws only guidance was that children under age 6 and 60 pounds must be transported and properly restrained in a child safety restraint.

The new law axes that requirement and replaces it with standards for different ages.

Lee said the old law lacked detail and that it did not put children in the safest possible position for travel. It also requires car seats to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Passengers under 2 years of age must be in a rear-facing seat and properly restrained. Children aged from 2 to 4 must be in a rear-facing seat or a forward-facing seat with an internal harness.

Kids aged 4 to 8 must be properly restrained in a forward-facing car seat with an internal harness or utilize a booster seat to safely use the cars shoulder seat belt.

Lastly, theres guidance for children aging out of booster seats:

A motor vehicle passenger who is at least 9 years of age or has outgrown the height or weight limits of a child booster seat as set by the manufacturer, whichever comes first, must be secured with a motor vehicle adult safety belt.

Wendy Olson Hansen, who has been a certified child passenger safety technician for 25 years, said during the hearing that about 71% of the checks they have show proper usage of car seats.

In the past, she said, there was a time when about 90% of people were incorrectly using car seats.

Weve made improvement, Hansen said. Wed like to continue to see more improvement.

In 2022, the United States averaged about three child deaths caused by car crashes per day. That year, there were more than 42,000 vehicle crash deaths almost 1,200 of those were kids. Montanas fatality rate for car crashes is also often above the national average.

The law did not change any penalties.

This wasnt designed to be a law enforcement bill whatsoever, Lee said during the House hearing. We did not change any of the fines. We did not make it a graduated fine schedule or anything along those lines. We truly just want to make this a child protection bill.

Daily Montanan

info@dailymontanan.com

Gov. Greg Gianforte has vetoed a pair of health care-related bills the latest legislation hes rejected, citing budget concerns:

Both bills were sponsored by Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings.

Gianforte said in letters announcing the vetoes that hes committed to ensuring access to quality care, but the benefits of these bills werent worth the potential costs.

He said SB 72 didnt offer enough safeguards to ensure benefits would only go to people who qualify, since it relies on people stating their own income and expands what providers can determine someone is likely eligible.

He said SB 244 would create an unfunded mandate for state health plans and that plan members already have access to many behavioral health services.

Gianforte has now vetoed 30 bills from the 2025 legislative session. Together, those bills laid out tens of millions of dollars in spending.

SB 72 and SB 244 both passed with more than two-thirds support in the House and Senate. That means lawmakers will have an opportunity to vote by mail on whether to enact them into law despite the vetoes.

So far, the Montana Secretary of States Office is set to conduct ten veto override polls.

Two years ago, a proposal to support Montana ambulance services through a new fee fell just short of becoming law. But the ambulance providers who backed that bill were hopeful theyd be able to get it through at the next state legislative session and they were right.

In 2023, House Bill 828 passed the Legislature, but Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed it after lawmakers adjourned before approving changes he had asked them to make. Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, who sponsored HB 828, brought a similar bill this year, with House Bill 56. It passed with bipartisan support, and Gianforte signed it into law earlier this month.

This is a lifeline for all of us EMS agencies that do transport, said Don Whalen, manager of Missoula Emergency Services and president of the Montana Ambulance Association.

Watch the video to see more about the impacts of Montana House Bill 56:

HB 56 sets up the framework for ambulance providers to pay a 5.75% fee on their own operating revenues. The state will take that money and use it as matching funds, to bring in more federal Medicaid dollars to support the providers.

Whalen said the extra funding will make a big deal for providers who are often running on very tight margins. He said EMS providers are trying to improve wages to recruit and retain employees, and theyre also dealing with significant cost increases for medical supplies.

I think that's the same for all the little departments as well that do the same job that we do we're stretched thin, he said.

A spokesperson for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services told MTN that about 75 ambulance providers across the state will be part of the assessment fee program.

It will apply to services that are private or community nonprofits, but not those affiliated with local governments or tribes.

Whalen said the affected providers run the gamut from large to small, urban to rural.

Dillon, Montana, that's a private 501(c)(3) Troy, Eureka, he said. I was shocked when we started looking at it. There are a lot of them out there in Montana.

Whalen said most of the ambulance services that dont qualify for this assessment fee are already participating in a similar program.

HB 56 becoming law is only a first step. The state will now have to put together rules for how the assessment fee will be administered, and they will need to get approval from the federal government before ambulance providers can start getting payments.

That does take time, said Whalen. We would love to see it enacted next year we really can't wait.

An analysis done during the legislative session by the governors budget office estimated the assessment fee would bring in $6 million a year from providers, but that it could secure another $30 million a year in federal matching funds.

However, those numbers could still be subject to change, especially if there are any major changes to Medicaid on the federal level.

Gov. Greg Gianfortes office confirmed Tuesday that he vetoed another 22 bills last week, bringing his total number of vetoes from the 2025 legislative session to 28.

Thats the most bills hes rejected from a single session since becoming governor in 2021, though its still less than in 2019, the last time Montana had a governor and a legislative majority of opposite parties.

Watch the video for a breakdown of some of the vetoed bills:

Two of the bills Gianforte vetoed were intended to require more transparency from branches of state government. House Bill 271, sponsored by Rep. Ed Stafman, D-Bozeman, would have revised the definition of executive privilege, by which the governor could prevent some communications and information from being released in response to public records requests. Senate Bill 40, from Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, would have required the Montana Supreme Court to record its deliberations and release the records to the public after the final appeal in any of their cases.

In his veto letters for both bills, Gianforte said they would discourage honest discussion within the affected branches, and that they would upset the separation of powers by limiting the executive and judiciarys privilege, but not the Legislatures.

Gianforte vetoed House Bill 605, from Rep. George Nikolakakos, R-Great Falls, which would have expanded when jails can conduct strip searches on suspects accused of misdemeanors. The bills language was weakened during the legislative process, and Gianforte said in his letter that law enforcement leaders no longer supported it.

He also vetoed Senate Bill 7, from Sen. Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls, which would have reversed a 2023 law change and allowed Montana Highway Patrol troopers and sheriffs deputies to start drawing their pensions earlier. He wrote the bill would have made public safety pension systems less sound.

Gianforte said in his initial round of vetoes that he would make some of his decisions based on budget considerations. He again cited costs in almost half of last weeks vetoes. They included House Bill 511, from Rep. Scott DeMarois, D-Anaconda, which would have put $5 million into a grant program for firefighter training facilities; House Bill 762, from Rep. Josh Seckinger, D-Bozeman, which would have assigned $2.6 million for a study of how many boats are using certain popular Montana rivers; House Bill 881, from Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, which would have allowed children with disabilities to receive Medicaid coverage at a higher family income than currently allowed, at an annual estimated cost of $1.5 million to the state general fund; and Senate Bill 536, from Hertz, which would have provided an estimated $4 million annual tax benefit to contracting companies owned by their employees through a stock plan.

So far, the bills Gianforte has vetoed have included a total of more than $27 million in one-time spending, as well as millions more in estimated annual expenses.

Eight of the vetoed bills received support from more than two-thirds of both the House and the Senate enough to overturn a veto. That means the Montana Secretary of States Office will poll lawmakers by mail on whether they want to enact the bills into law despite Gianfortes veto. The first two of those override ballots are already on their way to lawmakers.

It takes 67 votes in the House and 34 in the Senate to successfully override a veto. Lawmakers must return their ballots within 30 days in order to be counted.

A controversial bill dealing with fire service in the consolidated government of Butte-Silver Bow County has been vetoed by Governor Greg Gianforte after bipartisan support carried the bill through the 2025 Montana legislature.

In a letter to Montanas speaker of the house, Governor Gianforte says he is vetoing House Bill 547 because it introduces instability into the operations of rural fire districts. He also says volunteer and paid firefighters should sit down and work together to resolve issues instead of having the State of Montana take a meat cleaver to rural fire protection.

In response to the governors veto, Butte Senator Derek Harvey the sponsor of House Bill 547-- says he is disappointed.

I feel it leaves Fire Services in an area of being undefined. Our Charter doesn't represent our operations, and State Law doesn't represent our operations.

HB-547 intended to respect the local charter and return local control. The Governor chose Big Government over local control, says Sen. Derek Harvey.

He says the bill was intended to return control of fire services to the fire services director and that he still feels that state law needs to be changed but he hopes we can take steps in the right direction prior to the 2027 session.

Vetos can be overridden by two-thirds majority votes in the House and the Senate, but Senator Harvey says he is not pushing for that vote.

In a statement attached to Gov. Gianfortes response, the President of Montana State Volunteer Firefighters Association Kevin Moritz, who is also the fire chief of Conrad City and Pondera County Rural Fire Departments states that the broader threat of HB 547 would undermine the authority and autonomy of rural volunteer fire districts and would set a dangerous precedent.

"If passed, it will invite further erosion of rural protections in future sessions, weakening the very backbone of Montanas emergency response network, says Kevin Moritz.

Butte-Silver Bow County Chief Executive JP Gallagher says Governor Gianfortes veto of HB-547 is disappointing because it would have restored B-SB's charter to the laws original intent when it was introduced in 1977.

The governor has not provided an explanation to BSB for his decision, leaving us uncertain about his rationale. Despite this setback, we remain committed to working alongside our dedicated volunteers and paid departments, continuing the system that has served our community for over four decades, says J.P. Gallagher.

He says that as Butte-Silver Bow fire services move forward, we must focus on mending fences and ensuring that our fire services operate effectively for the safety and well-being of Butte-Silver Bow residents.

A bill to strengthen the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act by including e-cigarettes and vape pens was signed into law earlier this month by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte.

Sen. Willis Curdy, D-Missoula, said Monday he had worked on Senate Bill 390 for several sessions with support from youth advocates and public health workers.

This is long overdue, Curdy said.

The law now defines smoking, which is prohibited indoors, to include using an electronic smoking device, the Daily Montanan reports.

The bill was one of a couple of pieces of legislation in 2025 tied to the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act. However, Senate Bill 150, to create an exemption in the act that allowed for cigar rooms, failed in its last vote during the legislative session.

Curdy said SB 390 was near and dear to him as a former high school teacher, and he and former legislator Fred Anderson, a Great Falls Republican and school principal, had talked about the effects on youth.

I got some support from folks quite a bit of support from folks who had in the past opposed the bill, Curdy said.

He said some previous opponents came around after an epiphany with their own health, and others after learning about the negative health consequences of e-cigarettes and vape pens.

Curdy also said more work needs to be done to strengthen the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act, and he is interested in additional legislation, although he declined to cite specifics Monday.

However, he said persistence at the Montana Legislature paid off with SB 390.

It was a matter of perseverance, Curdy said.

After clearing the Senate, a bill that would have created an exception in the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act for cigar rooms failed in the House in its last vote after some representatives changed their votes.

Sponsored by Sen. Wylie Galt, R-Martinsdale, the bill passed the House on second reading with 51 votes, but then it failed with only 45 votes in support on third reading.

The bill was backed by the tourism and hospitality industry, and supporters argued Montana is at a disadvantage as a luxury destination because it cannot offer a place where cigar aficionados can legally smoke indoors.

Public health advocates opposed the bill, pointing to the detrimental effects of second-hand smoke. Some also alleged the bill would run contrary to an agreement made when Montana first passed the Clean Indoor Air Act in 2005, but gave bars four years to comply.

Originally, the bill would have allowed cigar bars in standalone structures, but it was amended to create an exception for cigar rooms with separate ventilation instead.

Galt said Monday he believes that change, along with an amendment that included a study related to gambling machines and opposed by the industry, might have ended up sinking the bill.

Galt has worked on the bill for many sessions, and he earlier said cigar bars are legal in many other states. He said Monday hell continue to pursue the opportunity for Montana.

I do intend on running it again next session with some of the amendments we worked on, Galt said in a text message Monday. Tenth year may be my lucky year.

Jackie Semmens, with the American Heart Association, had opposed SB 150 during the Montana Legislature.

Semmens said Monday that an amendment in the House Business and Labor Committee would have essentially brought back smoking sections to Montana bars.

But she said, there is no safe level of second-hand smoke, and she believes the change might have contributed to the demise of the bill.

This really upset our members, who called their legislators to ask them to vote no on SB 150, said Semmens, government relations director for Montana for the association. Montanans, by and large, dont want to return to the days of smoking in bars.

However, in a phone call and email, Semmens also praised the addition of e-cigarettes to the Clean Indoor Air Act.

We believe that the addition of e-cigarettes to the Clean Indoor Air Act was an important update to the law given the youth vaping epidemic, Semmens said. Nicotine in any form is an addictive drug, and we want to send a clear message to youth in Montana that vaping is not safe for you or for people around you.

We also hope this will inspire more interest in what else Montana can do to help curb the youth vaping epidemic.

Daily Montanan

info@dailymontanan.com

It took until the final days of the Montana Legislatures 2025 session, but lawmakers did eventually hammer out a final plan to revise the states property tax system and provide tax relief for primary residences.

Last week, Gov. Greg Gianforte officially signed two key bills into law. Now, it will be up to state agencies to put the tax plan into action.

Watch the video for more on what property owners can expect from these bills:

The governor was proud to sign into law House Bill 231 and Senate Bill 542 to deliver meaningful and permanent property tax relief for Montanans in the place they call home, a spokesperson for Gianfortes office said in a statement to MTN Monday. Delivering the Homestead Rate Cut, developed by the governor's bipartisan, diverse Property Tax Task Force, was one of his top priorities this legislative session. The governor is grateful to each member of the Legislature who joined him in delivering meaningful, lasting property tax relief to Montanans.

HB 231 and SB 542 were tied together near the end of the session. In their final form, they create homestead tax rates starting in 2026 lowering the property tax rate on most Montanans primary residences, long-term rentals and smaller commercial properties, but increasing the rate for second homes and those worth more than four times the statewide median value.

Because the Montana Department of Revenue needs more time to fully implement the homestead rates, the bills also establish an interim system for 2025. They will adjust residential property rates so theyre higher on higher-value homes, in general, reducing the rates on homes worth less than $2 million. In addition to the new rates, the state will offer a one-time property tax rebate of up to $400 this year on a Montana homeowners primary residence.

The state previously offered property tax rebates to homeowners in 2023 and 2024. Property owners will again need to apply to receive this years rebate. A spokesperson for the Department of Revenue says they will send postcards next month to people whose residences may be eligible. The online portal to claim the rebate will be open from Aug. 15 to Oct. 1.

Homeowners will also need to apply to claim the homestead tax rate, starting in December 2025. However, anyone who applies for and receives the property tax rebate this year will automatically qualify, unless their home has changed owners or is no longer their primary residence.

Throughout the legislative process, bills like HB 231 faced opposition from business groups, like the Montana Chamber of Commerce. Chamber president and CEO Todd OHair said they concluded that the proposals would only shift whos paying taxes instead of really providing relief. He said Montana needs to look at whether the current tax system still works as the state continues to shift from an economy reliant on natural resource production to one centered on services.

We think that there's a good chance this will be, once again, the issue of 2027, OHair said. And until we have that serious conversation and come up with viable alternatives to the current tax system that we have in Montana, our concern is that the squeeze is going to continue to be on that larger industrial base in the state of Montana which has been paying a huge chunk of the property tax over the course of our history of our state.

OHair said the Chamber is concerned both about the increased tax burden that could fall on large companies like utilities, mines, oil and gas producers and the timber industry, and that the relief for residential taxpayers might not be as large as expected.

Supporters of HB 231 and SB 542 have noted that many large industrial employers have seen their property taxes fall since 2021, as residential property values in the state spiked and led to a larger share of the tax burden falling on homeowners.

OHair acknowledged some of the large companies did pay lower property taxes in recent years, but said it was because their business valuations also went down.

Our argument has been that, had residential property values gone down, we wouldn't be arguing to try to shift more burden onto them today, he said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated to include a corrected video.

Just six months after the end of the hotly contested 2024 elections for the Montana Supreme Court, theres already a race developing for a seat opening up on the court in 2026.

Watch the video to hear from the two candidates who've already launched Supreme Court campaigns:

Associate Justice Beth Baker has another year and a half remaining in her second term on the Supreme Court, but she does plan to retire after that. Two candidates are already saying theyre interested in replacing her. Both acknowledge its going to seem early to many people, but they feel they need to start reaching voters immediately.

It takes a lot of time and effort to get your message out across Montana, and I decided that I would take advantage of as much time as I could to get that message out, said Dan Wilson, who announced his campaign in early April.

I think it's particularly difficult and particularly important for nonpartisan candidates to have the opportunity to really get their message out [to] the public and to the voters, said Amy Eddy, who launched her campaign about a month later. We don't have as much of an opportunity to do that just in our regular day-to-day lives.

Wilson and Eddy have two big things in common: Theyre both state district court judges, and they both serve in the 11

Judicial District, which covers Flathead County. In fact, theyve served together for most of their time in office. Eddy was first appointed to the bench in 2015, and Wilson won his seat in 2016.

Wilson will be a familiar name to voters across the state. He ran for an associate justice position last year, losing to now-Justice Katherine Bidegaray. He believes that campaign will give him a jump start this time.

When I started my campaign the last time and I spoke to people and introduced myself, told them my name, they'd say, Who are you? he said. This time around, they're saying, We know who you are, we're very much in your favor, tell us how we can help. And that's really rewarding, and that's the foundation that I plan to build on and expand.

Wilson describes himself as a constitutional conservative and says hes opposed to judicial activism.

Before becoming a judge, Eddy worked for 15 years in private practice, primarily on civil litigation. She says shes handled more than 10,000 cases not only in Flathead County, but across Montana and she plans to lean on that experience in making her case to voters.

Montanans deserve a justice who can be fair, experienced, balanced, and apply the rule of law equally to the facts of each dispute, she said. It's what I've been doing on the district court bench, and it's certainly what Id do on the Montana Supreme Court to guard people's freedoms, protect the Constitution, hold criminal defendants accountable and give everyone a fair shake.

Eddy says she wants to keep politics out of the courtroom, and preserve the nonpartisan nature of these campaigns.

The 2026 race will be the first judicial election after the Montana Legislature approved changes to the laws for those elections.

The biggest change under consideration allowing candidates to run with political party labels didnt pass, but the Legislature did repeal a law that prohibited parties from donating to judicial candidates. MTN asked both candidates how that change would affect the way they campaigned.

While it might be legal for judges to accept political contributions by political parties, in my reading of the Code of Judicial Conduct, it is certainly not ethical nor judicial, and so I will not be accepting any money from political parties or partisan elected officials, Eddy said. The code doesn't specifically prevent me from accepting political contributions, but it does prevent me from accepting those endorsements, and that's a pretty close second to one another.

It's not going to change how I run the race, certainly, and most importantly, it's not going to change one bit how I approach the job, said Wilson. You know, I've heard people say we can't allow politics in the courtroom, and I agree with that 100%. But the way that we do that is elect judges who stand on principle, as opposed to those who pursue an agenda because those with an agenda are sneaking in politics in one form or another, just in another name or without being quite candid or honest about what they're doing.

Wilson and Eddy both reached out to Baker before announcing their bids. Baker told MTN she still has energy for the job and is looking forward to her next 18 months on the Supreme Court, but she felt it was a good time to step away rather than seeking another eight-year term.

Bakers seat is the only Montana Supreme Court seat that will be up for election in 2026. In 2024, when two seats were open, the candidates together raised more than $1 million, and several million more in spending came from outside groups.

In a victory for families facing severe health challenges, House Bill 544 has been signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte, marking a transformative step in ensuring access to vital prescription drugs, specifically biologics for people with serious medical conditions.

The bill's passage represents the culmination of tireless advocacy spearheaded by a dedicated group of supporters, including a determined mom from Missoula, who took their fight from the hospital corridors to the legislative halls of Helena.

The testimonies shared in Helena were profoundly moving and underscored the bill's importance on a personal and statewide level. Advocates emphasized the need for a Montana-made solution with implications extending far beyond state borders.

"What you pull out of your brown folders today is truly a Montana-made solution that could be a model across the country," one advocate expressed passionately.

Watch to learn more about the effects of Montana House Bill 544:

The struggle against prohibitive pharmaceutical costs shared by many Montana families struck a powerful chord.

Rachel Markovich, a mother whose story exemplifies the urgency of the issue, recounted her experiences, "With my sons journey, at 22 months old, when he was diagnosed, the drug was needed and prescribed, he didnt get it."

Her son Gavin's diagnosis of Very Early Onset Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD) revealed a broader systemic issue faced by many families delays and denials in accessing prescribed medications.

Biologics are often used to treat IBD as they help the immune system target certain proteins that cause inflammation. They work by blocking chemical messages from the immune system that trigger a cascade of inflammatory events in people with IBD.

Some families were finding barriers and inconsistencies from the insurance companies in providing the medicine for their children.

Stunned by the prevalence of similar struggles across Montana, Markovich founded VEO Guardians to provide financial assistance and support for families fighting to access life-changing treatments drugs that can cost up to $6,000 out-of-pocket.

However, realizing that charity alone was insufficient, she rallied others to push for legislative change, leading to the formation of the non-profit that now has an active board and advisory committee to help support families, fundraise and educate.

The passage of House Bill 544, sponsored by Republican Ed Buttrey of Great Falls, reflects the powerful impact of personal stories and community advocacy.

Key provisions of the bill include prohibiting health insurance issuers from retroactively denying coverage for approved services, and allowing minors access to biologic therapies that are FDA-approved for adults and deemed medically necessary.

These changes ensure children like Gavin have access to treatments that can significantly alleviate symptoms of conditions like IBD, starting with the unwavering determination of a mom and her community.

I can tell you I still look back at photos of him on that first day and life turned upside down. What a beautiful blessing to have a charity and to have a bill passed, knowing that so much positivity can come to these families now being diagnosed with this. We have our own community," Markovich told MTN.

VEO Guardians continues to support families through their website, Facebook page, and podcast, providing resources and fostering a community centered around shared experiences and mutual support.

The success of House Bill 544 not only marks a legislative victory but also symbolizes the strength of united voices advocating for a common cause.

Learn more:

Two weeks after the end of the Montana Legislatures 2025 session, the final outcome for hundreds of bills has yet to be decided, as Gov. Greg Gianforte has the authority to sign or veto them. His decisions are likely to play a big role in the states final spending picture.

As lawmakers debated House Bill 2 the main state budget bill and other major bills in the final weeks of the session, some said, no matter what the Legislature did, Gianforte would likely veto bills based on their budget impact.

Watch the full story:

Anyone that suggests that they're surprised the Exec is going to weigh in on this well, I walked those halls and I heard it, said Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee.

All in all, the Legislature passed 816 bills in 2025. As of Tuesday, 574 of them had already become law. Another 208 have officially gone to Gianfortes desk for consideration, while 28 passed the Legislature but still havent been officially transmitted to the governor.

Gianforte had vetoed six bills as of Tuesday. For two of them, he specifically cited the cost:

In letters announcing the vetoes, Gianforte said the bills were well-intentioned, but the Legislature had passed too much legislation that wasnt fiscally responsible.

I will keenly review the budget and spending bills the Legislature passed, making some difficult decisions to protect taxpayers and their hard-earned resources, he wrote.

Last week, Republican leaders in the Senate put out a statement, agreeing the Legislature hadnt done enough to control spending and saying Gianforte should use his veto power to get the budget in line.

I think that people did expect that that was what was going to happen, said Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, who chairs the Senate Finance and Claims Committee. But that doesn't really give us a free pass, right? We didn't do our job. Our job is to balance the budget; our job is to appropriate the money.

Glimm pointed to a May 7 analysis from the Legislative Fiscal Division, which said that, if all the bills the Legislature passed became law, the states ongoing spending could exceed ongoing revenues by the 2028 fiscal year.

As appropriators, we're supposed to be looking out for what that balance sheet looks like, he said. I don't think we did a good job, because we passed way too much stuff, and we're leaving it up to the governor to finish the job when we leave town. We should have a balanced budget. He shouldn't have to veto things just to balance the budget.

Glimm said the Legislature also left some agencies particularly the Office of the State Public Defender and the Montana State Hospital in a state where they may need to come back and ask for additional appropriations in the 2027 session.

Jones said the Legislature did meet its constitutional requirement to provide a balanced budget, because it remains structurally balanced meaning more revenues than expenditures through the two years before the next legislative session.

He said the four-year projections are informational only intended to give a better picture of how large-scale changes like the income tax cut the Legislature passed might affect the budget going forward.

However, Jones said he, too, wants to see the governor veto bills for budget reasons. He said he would prefer to see another $100 million or so left in the general fund for 2027 and he said that would go a long way to improving the structural balance in 2028 and 2029 as well.

As the sheets begin to work, that's becoming balanced as well, he said. That being said, we've got to realize that a four-year-out forecast is exactly that. There could be a bunch more people that come to the state, there could be higher income earnings by the people that are in the state.

Jones said one of the bills he believes could be vetoed is Senate Bill 537, sponsored by Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, which would redirect almost $70 million in marijuana taxes from the general fund over two years, to pay for law enforcement and behavioral health programs. The Legislature also passed House Bill 932, from Rep. Ken Walsh, R-Twin Bridges, which also adjusts marijuana tax distribution but doesnt pull much out of the general fund.

Glimm said he doesnt have a full breakdown of places hed like to see vetoes, but he hopes the governor will look closely at some of the amendments Senate Republicans tried to make to trim HB 2 and at several bills with large price tags passed in the final days of the session.

One of the most notable large bills the Legislature passed at the end was House Bill 924, sponsored by Jones. It would put hundreds of millions of dollars into a new state trust that would invest the money and use interest income to fund a variety of infrastructure and other programs.

Jones acknowledged HB 924 would take a lot out of the general fund, but said he thought investment spending like that should be seen in a different light than some of the Legislatures other spending.

We're spending on an investment that's going to be there in the case of an emergency that actually offsets general fund spend in the future, he said.

The governor has ten days to sign or veto a bill after receiving it and in the case of appropriations bills like HB 2, he can veto individual line items of spending. If ten days pass without the governor taking action, a bill becomes law without his signature.

HB 2, SB 537 and HB 924 are among the bills that havent formally been sent to Gianforte yet, so the ten-day calendar hasnt started on them.

About a year after the most recent announcement of a Montana sawmill closure, state lawmakers passed a bill creating a low-interest loan program for companies reopening a mill in an effort to boost Montanas economy and forest health.

Missoula Countys two largest wood products facilities Pyramid Mountain Lumber in Seeley Lake and Roseburg Forest Products in Missoula announced in March 2024 plans to close, affecting about 250 employees.

The Missoula Economic Partnership has worked to find a company to take over the former Pyramid Mountain Lumber sawmill for more than a year, said Grant Kier, the partnerships president and CEO. The economic development organization supported House Bill 876 as a piece of the puzzle, not the whole solution, Kier told Montana Free Press.

Its important to recognize this money is part of a whole suite of tools well try to bring to the table to make financing more favorable and appealing to someone if theyre willing to invest in a sawmill in western Montana, he said. At the end of the day, its probably enough to send a really strong signal to somebody that the state government is really supportive of the industry and wants to see investments.

HB 876, also known as the Sawmill Revitalization Act, sets aside $6 million for loans administered by the state Board of Investments. Any money not spent by June 30, 2027, will be transferred back to the capital development long-range building account. The bill awaits Gov. Greg Gianfortes signature.

Rep. John Fitzpatrick, R-Anaconda, said he and Rep. Connie Keogh, D-Missoula, proposed the bill to help reactivate one or more sawmills that closed in recent years.

Watch related coverage: Montana facing a forest health crisis

When I came back to Montana from graduate school in the early 1970s, we had over 50 operating sawmills in Montana, Fitzpatrick said during a Senate committee meeting on April 15. Now were down to about five. In the past three years, sawmills at St. Regis and Seeley Lake have closed. And thats not a loss just to the local economy; its a very detrimental effect on our forests because we have fewer places in which to process logs.

Along with the Missoula Economic Partnership, representatives from the Missoula Chamber of Commerce, Trout Unlimited and the forestry industry spoke in favor of the bill, highlighting the need for a mill in western Montana to help with forest management.

We have this big void in the state of Montana where we need a big pine mill, and the mill in Seeley helped fill that void, said Jason Todhunter with the Montana Logging Association. We desperately need a market for ponderosa pine, and its our hope this bill will help encourage a facility like that to relocate back in Montana to give us a place to take pine.

Ponderosa pine is common in Montana forests but less sought after by the wood products industry.

Christopher Anderson, vice president of Sun Mountain Lumber, said while more capacity is needed to help manage forests, the company opposed the bill because it excludes existing sawmills operating in a tough industry. The company has received low-interest loans from the Montana Department of Commerces Wood Products Revolving Loan Program, but the program only offers a limited amount of money every two years, Anderson said.

Watch related coverage: Sun Mountain Lumber feels impact of lumber industry closures in Western Montana but still going strong

During the committee meeting and on the Senate floor, some lawmakers questioned the decision to spend $6 million in taxpayer dollars for a loan that would only be a drop in the bucket for the full cost to reopen a mill.

Were spending taxpayer dollars to do what loggers did in the 90s, said Sen. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, during debate on the bill in late April. This is completely backwards. I support the timber industry, but to do that, we need to do that right, and that is get the lawsuits out, let us manage our forests and get back to producing tax income.

Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka, said the loan program is not a handout but rather how one representative decided to help the communities affected by mill closures.

Fitzpatrick told the Senate committee he never intended the loan to cover the full cost of a new mill, but it could be an important part of a capital stack.

If we have a new developer who thinks that theyve got the capital to buy the facility, to get the capital together to start the thing, and we can assist, I think its a good step, he said.

A capital stack refers to the money assembled from different sources to make up the tens of millions of dollars needed to open a new, modern sawmill, Kier said.

Someone would need to come into the market with enough cash to invest heavily, but a lot of times they would bring money from other sources like loans, grants, other vehicles and instruments to make that overall investment, he said. What were trying to do is compete with other states in the country that provide ways to cobble together money.

Watch related coverage: Uncertain future lies ahead for Western Montana forestry and forest products industries

In response to concerns about a new mill hampering existing operations, Kier said companies interested in moving to Seeley Lake do not want to face challenges from other mills or their efforts to sell byproducts like sawdust.

Roseburgs Missoula particleboard plant was a major user of those residuals. The Oregon-based company was working with the city of Missoula to annex the 235-acre property and explore redevelopment, but the process was paused in late January over concerns about legislation that would affect tax increment financing.

While Kier couldnt give details about potential buyers of the Seeley Lake site, he said the passage of HB 876 is a starting gun for the Missoula Economic Partnership to recruit interested companies.

Kier said when the partnership communicates with companies, it tries to be honest about Montanas housing challenges, which contributed to the Seeley Lake mills closure.

Pyramid struggled to keep up with rising expenses and hire enough workers to increase production, in large part because of the lack of housing in the area, Todd Johnson, the mills president and general manager, said last year. Seeley Lake does not have a public sewer system, and much of the community is under a special management district with septic restrictions to prevent groundwater contamination, making it difficult to build homes for millworkers and other employees.

Even without ongoing work in the community to address infrastructure issues, they may be less of a barrier for a modern sawmill, which can process the same amount as an older mill with fewer workers, Kier said.

The Missoula Economic Partnership is optimistic it has interest from credible partners in redeveloping the Seeley Lake site, Kier said.

I hope over the next several months, and hopefully by the end of year, well have a sense if theres a viable partner to come in and transform one of our older sites thats no longer a mill into something thats a functioning mill for the future, he said.

montanafreepress.org

Gov. Greg Gianforte recently signed into law House Bill 252 known as the STARS Act which makes additional state funding available to encourage school districts to boost starting teacher pay.

Now, districts need to certify that theyll meet the requirements in order to qualify for the funds.

Watch the video for more on what school districts need to do to receive the funding.

The Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) is asking districts to certify by Thursday, May 15, that their base teacher pay is going to meet a minimum threshold. Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen told MTN that, as of Monday afternoon, 193 out of 418 eligible entities had submitted an application.

As soon as STARS was ready to roll out, we notified our partners in education so that they could see what we were informing districts of, she said. We've all been communicating to make sure we're sending the same message to the field and not creating any confusion.

The STARS Act was one of the biggest school funding bills the Montana Legislature took up this year. It expands a state incentive initially created in the 2021 TEACH Act, providing more funding to school districts if they increase pay for beginning teachers.

In order to qualify for the new incentive, districts will have to provide a base teacher salary of at least $41,613 for the 2026 fiscal year increasing year to year after that. They also need to ensure new teachers make at least 62% of the districts average teacher salary a percentage that will also increase in future years.

Some districts are already offering pay that fits the rules. East Helena Public Schools Superintendent Dan Rispens told MTN his district has been emphasizing paying starting teachers for years in order to compete with larger districts. That meant EHPS simply had to submit a statement that it was in compliance.

Other districts have had to work with their school boards and teachers unions in order to come to an agreement. Those districts have to submit paperwork stating all parties are committed to working toward the STARS Act goals in order to qualify.

Most of the districts we are talking to are working hard to make sure that they can meet the requirement, Hedalen said. There have been a few that had greater challenges, whether it was the 62% or just getting up to that base pay and getting everyone to agree to these terms.

Hedalen said the current base pay varies a lot depending on where in the state you are.

I know for our rural schools across Montana, this is likely to be a large increase in teacher pay, and that's why we were very supportive and thankful to the governor and the legislators for investing in public education and our teachers, she said.

OPI has set up a section of their website with more details on what steps districts need to take to apply for the teacher incentive funding.

The STARS Act also creates additional financial incentives, like for districts to expand dual credit and career and technical education programs. All together, it could put another $55 million a year into schools from the state general fund.

Montana State Senators Greg Hertz and Ellie Boldman attended this months City Club Missoula, giving a recap on the 2025 legislative session.

Both senators went over what they viewed as the biggest topics of the session on Monday.

These are the big things we passed. Balanced budget. We're going to talk about that the Trust Act. [And] major property tax relief, said Sen. Boldman, a Democrat from Missoula.

Watch the full story:

With my remaining few minutes," joked Montana Senator Greg Hertz, a Republican from Polson, as he had the majority of his time left, "we'll talk about property taxes. So, on your tables, there's three handouts. You can look at those. That provides some information," he continued, pulling out sheets breaking down the property taxes of Montana.

Besides property taxes and the budget which Sen. Hertz argued is not a balanced budget as it is only balanced until 2027 there was also the Medicaid expansion.

Of course, the big issue, Medicaid expansion, which is now not, we don't have to reauthorize it anymore. We did it in 2015, 2019, and now, finally, I think we're done with that conversation, Sen. Boldman.

It's the first time I voted for Medicaid expansion in any session. You know, it's proven to work out there and I think it's something we continue to need, said Sen. Hertz.

But both legislators agreed that it was not a perfect session.

It was probably one of the more frustrating sessions I've been in. There was just a lot going on. Obviously, the issue with former President Ellsworth just took up a massive amount of our time, said Sen. Hertz.

Some of the rhetoric and negativity, I think, sometimes can become a little too partisan and unnecessary, noted Sen. Boldman.

Overall, the senators said that while the session was a little chaotic, they thought there was ultimately success in several hot topic issues including housing, property taxes and Medicaid expansion.

However, they both mentioned that there will be plenty of work to be done in the future and with the potential of federal cuts to Medicaid, there may be the need to come back for a special session to address whatever may be coming down the line.

A bill that saves Montana renters money in unused application fees was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte.

In a statement Monday, House Minority Leader Katie Sullivan, D-Missoula, described it as one of the most significant policies enacted for renters in the last four years.

Sponsored by Rep. Kelly Kortum, D-Bozeman, House Bill 311 requires property managers to return rental application fees when they arent used to run the application.

Kortum brought the bill forward to address predatory business practices he saw in Bozeman, according to a news release from House Democrats.

Co-sponsors included Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate.

The news release said property managers can harvest hundreds of dollars in application fees from prospective renters without intending to award a unit to any of them.

Every day, Montanans pay rental application fees but dont get the apartment, Kortum said at a hearing in support of the bill. Why are they paying for a service they never receive?

An estimated 31% of Montana households are renters, or 137,485, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Of those, it said 22% earn at or below the area median income.

But renters can end up paying hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in application fees in a de facto housing lottery, as they look for a place to live, the news release said.

In a story last month, Realtor.com estimated the cost of application fees at $35 to $75 per person in the nation, although it said amounts range depending on location.

House Democrats described HB 311 as a priority bill that will make finding a home much cheaper.

In a statement, Sullivan, a co-sponsor, said the bill shows Democrats are delivering to make housing more affordable in Montana.

Getting a roof over your head should not be a raffle or a lottery, Sullivan said. HB 311 would end the housing lottery and stop landlords from harvesting exploitative fees from hardworking Montanans.

The bill passed the legislature with bipartisan support passed the legislature with bipartisan support, 68-29 in the House and 34-14 in the Senate.

Daily Montanan

info@dailymontanan.com

Gov. Greg Gianforte has vetoed a bipartisan bill that aimed to ban most Styrofoam products in Montana restaurants.

The state banning Styrofoam is costly government reach, Gianforte, a Republican said in a social media post Tuesday.

Watch the full story:

Gianforte's action disappointed many, who hoped the ban would curb Styrofoam waste in Montana.

A couple of weeks ago, MTN News spoke to a server at Montana Brewing Company in Billings who was excited about the bill.

I think being a leader in doing this is going to set a precedent that our kids in future generations are going to look back on and say, There's where it started. Here's who started it, Kylie Eckhardt said in a recent interview.

House Bill 477 passed both chambers with bipartisan support (56-41 in the House and 26-22 in the Senate, with all Democrats in favor) and aimed to phase out polystyrene used in single-use food containers, with certain exceptions.

On May 1, when the bill landed on the governor's desk, Gianforte vetoed it, then later turned to social media and called it a hot mess."

A bill just came to my desk that bans Styrofoam containers for food and drinks in Montana. This bill would create a new government program costing taxpayers $300,000, Gianforte said.

Gianforte added that the bill would also force higher costs on 7,500 Montana restaurants, businesses and consumers.

The state banning Styrofoam is costly government overreach. And like many Montanans, I enjoy hot coffee in a Styrofoam cup because it keeps it hot. And this bill is a hot mess, Gianforte added.

Back at Montana Brewery Company, the governors stance is not making a big impact.

I imagine the people that fought hard to get past will be disappointed, worker Joshua Erbacher said Tuesday.

The restaurant will be unaffected because it steered away from Styrofoam containers a few years ago.

Montana's 2025 Legislative session wrapped up without passing Chloe's Law, leaving an Anaconda family heartbroken.

"It's political for them, it's emotional for us. It's something we fully believe in. You know, all you can do is sit back and go I hope a tragedy like ours doesn't have to affect you," says Keith Worl, Chloe's father.

Watch the full story:

While on her way to work on a March morning nearly four years ago, 25-year-old Chloe Worl was struck head-on and was killed instantly by a distracted driver in Dillon.

During the legislative session, Keith and Connie Worl stood before legislators pleading for safer roads in Montana.

"You know, Montana still remains the only state that does not restrict cell phone use in vehicles, and again, this wasn't a ban," Connie says.

Connie says Senate Bill 359 would have restricted hand-held devices while driving in order to eliminate distractions like texting or scrolling on a phone.

Also, the bill would have allowed victims and their families to seek justice in accidents involving distracted driving.

"We don't feel that Chloe received justice from the judicial system, and, really, the way we were received during the legislative committee the House legislative committee you know, I don't think her tragedy was even validated. Or our loss was validated," says Connie.

While the legislature was in session, Connie says almost 50 people died on Montana roads. She says that because there is no law in place, it's difficult to know if those deaths are connected to distracted driving.

Despite the legislature's failure to pass Chloe's Law, a bill did pass that increases penalties for drunken driving.

"The House and the Senate did some really good work with passing Bobby's Bill. We were thrilled with that. Why not this bill? Why stop there?" says Connie.

The Worls say they will bring Chole's Law before the legislature again.

They also host an ATV fun run in July to raise money for scholarships in Chloe's honor.

Montanas frayed behavioral health care system, still recovering from the effects of past budget cuts, will get a shot in the arm after state lawmakers approved sweeping changes to upgrade and expand facilities, increase community services, and revise commitment procedures.

Lawmakers backed the bulk of Republican Gov. Greg Gianfortes multimillion-dollar vision to bolster and expand the system, which has experienced waitlists for care and has been working in recent years to reverse the loss of community-based mental health services and regain federal certification of the state psychiatric hospital, lost in 2022 after a spate of patient deaths. Legislators then went several steps further to fill what they saw as gaps in the governors proposals.

They agreed to build a new mental health facility in eastern Montana, add more beds at existing state facilities, fund more crisis beds in communities, revise some civil and criminal commitment procedures, and reimburse counties when criminal defendants ordered to state facilities are held in county jails.

For our families that struggle in these systems, it gives us so much hope, said Matt Kuntz, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Montana chapter, about the legislative action.

The states behavioral health system faced an array of problems going into the 2025 legislative session. They included shortages in community services, particularly in rural areas, created by deep cuts made in 2017 in response to a state budget shortfall, along with a backlog of criminal defendants waiting for evaluations and services at the state-run psychiatric hospital.

The prospects of the situation improving seemed dim for a long time, Kuntz said. Then you have the governors office, the legislature, the counties, the county attorneys all working together to bring tangible solutions. And they got the votes, he said.

That support built over time as the state spent money on improvements needed to regain the Montana State Hospitals federal certification and counties came under increasing pressure due to a lack of services and treatment beds. The legislature and governor committed to review the system in 2023.

In all, lawmakers approved about $124 million in state spending and up to $40 million in federal funds over the next two years for behavioral health services, a new state-owned facility, and additional beds in existing facilities.

The people that need our support, the people that cant take care of themselves, the families that are struggling with their family member that cant take care of themselves at some points in time are going to benefit from what we did, Republican state Sen. John Esp said in summing up the legislatures work.

The spending approved by the legislature goes well beyond the money Gianforte requested for behavioral health changes. He included 10 funding requests in his proposed state budget for the next two years that totaled about $43.5 million in state funds and $42 million in federal funds. The requests were based on recommendations from the Behavioral Health System for Future Generations Commission.

Lawmakers created that commission in 2023 to review state-funded services for people with mental illness, substance use disorders, and developmental disabilities. Legislators that year set aside $300 million to be spent in future years on recommendations made by the commission.

Even before the start of the session, some legislators questioned whether the governors budget did enough to address the lack of both community-based crisis services and forensic beds at the Montana State Hospital, which are for people in the criminal justice system.

Two bills introduced in January House Bill 236 and HB 237 sought to address lengthy jail holds experienced by some people waiting for mental health evaluations or treatment before their trials can proceed. Defendants generally obtain those services at the Montana State Hospitals forensic unit.

Both bills failed. But testimony on the measures, as well as on the governors budget requests, drew attention to the backlog of people waiting in jails across the state. Legislators heard of prolonged delays some stretching more than a year that sometimes led to cases being dismissed because of concerns that the delays had violated the defendants constitutional right to a speedy trial.

By April, the legislature was considering possible fixes on several fronts. Some resulted from long hours of discussion among the parties involved.

During an April 15 hearing on Senate Bill 429 to revise criminal commitment procedures, Chad Parker, a state health department attorney, described the measure as a very robustly negotiated bill. Nanette Gilbertson, representing the Montana County Attorneys Association and the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, said it contained elements that I know were tough pills to swallow for both the associations I work for and the department.

The bill would allow involuntary medication of defendants in county jails under certain circumstances an idea state officials initially opposed and prohibit the filing of a contempt charge if someone isnt admitted to the Montana State Hospital for treatment because a bed isnt available, which was important to the state to include.

Gilbertson told the House Judiciary Committee the bill was just one of several that, taken in a package, are going to create immense change in the mental health and behavioral health system in the state of Montana.

They include bills to reimburse counties for the costs of holding people waiting for state mental health services, allow short-term mental health holds in the community, improve delivery and payment for community services, and create more beds in state facilities for people committed through both criminal and civil procedures.

Legislators also approved money for a new mental health facility, expected to be built in eastern Montana, that will include more forensic beds.

Gianforte spokesperson Kaitlin Price said Gianforte would carefully consider the bills passed in addition to his proposals.

The governors original budget request focused primarily on community services. Legislators approved all but one, which would have created an electronic bed registry. The approved requests will revise reimbursement rates for developmental disability services, residential youth psychiatric treatment, and crisis and outpatient behavioral health services. They also will reopen clinics for early diagnosis of developmental disabilities in children, provide workforce incentives, and seek to improve delivery of services to people with developmental disabilities who have complex needs.

Esp, who served on the behavioral health commission and sponsored several of the bills, cautioned that the success of this years efforts will depend on whether future legislatures and governors spend the money needed to continue the new services.

The problem weve always had around here is we look at things in two-year increments and towards the next election instead of looking at whats the best policy for the state of Montana, long term, he said.

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KFF

On the first day of the Montana Legislatures 2025 session, nine Republican senators voted with Democrats to change the temporary rules the Senate was operating under. It was only the start of what became a session-long storyline, as that group of nine went on to vote against GOP leadership on numerous procedural motions and some key legislation.

That vote that was taken on Day 1 was important, said Sen. Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls, one of the nine. It was important to take a stand.

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In addition to McKamey, the group of nine included Sens. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton; Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton; Butch Gillespie, R-Ethridge; Gregg Hunter, R-Glasgow; Gayle Lammers, R-Hardin; Denley Loge, R-St. Regis; Russ Tempel, R-Chester; and Shelley Vance, R-Belgrade.

Over the 85-day session, the nine voted along with the 18 Senate Democrats to rearrange senators committee assignments, move bills to different committees and blast bills that didnt make it out of committee to the floor.

Kassmier told MTN one of the causes of the split was the nines belief that Senate leaders had isolated them by placing them on a less influential committee. Five of the nine were assigned to the newly created Executive Review Committee, intended to hear legislation from state agencies but members questioned whether the committee was necessary.

I think that this kind of got us off to a rough start, when we actually changed the rules and made sure everybody was placed on committees that was fairly based on experience, knowledge, said Kassmier.

McKamey says there were also policy differences. She said she believed other Republican senators were undermining Gov. Greg Gianfortes policy goals.

I did not work closely with the governor at all, but what I really felt was that the Republican caucus should support the Republican governor, she said. When I saw the lack of support and even opposition to our governor, that was an issue for me. And I wasn't opposed to taking a stand stating that.

The group of nine didnt always vote as a bloc, but there were areas where they appeared clearly separated from most of their caucus. Most of the nine supported the final version of House Bill 2, the main state budget bill; the pair of property tax reform bills establishing homestead tax rates, and the renewal of Montanas Medicaid expansion program.

However, on other pieces of legislation, the entire Senate GOP remained largely united including a bill to cut income tax rates and a number of bills on social issues like gender transition.

Were all conservative Republicans at the end of the day, Kassmier said.

One of the most contentious divides between the nine and other Republicans surfaced around the ethics investigation and disciplinary action against Ellsworth, a former Senate president. Last month, the Senate voted by a large margin to remove Ellsworth from committees and bar him from the floor after an investigation focused on whether he had violated ethical obligations in his handling of a state contract. However, that vote came only after attempts to expel him from the Senate failed, with the nine and most Democrats in opposition.

McKamey told MTN Friday that, while there were legitimate questions about Ellsworths actions, she believed he hadnt gotten equal treatment and that the handling of his case was inappropriate.

The nines actions throughout the session led to sharp criticism from some Republicans. The Montana Republican Partys executive committee issued statements of censure against the senators for breaking with party leadership and cooperating with Democrats. Eventually, in April, they said the state party would withdraw support from the senators future campaigns and that they would no longer see the nine Senators as Republicans.

These Senators have undermined the Republican majority leadership and disregarded the will of Montana Republican voters, the news release said.

Kassmier said the board had inserted themselves in the legislative process, and he saw that as unfortunate.

I try to stay focused on delivering on property tax, income tax, investing in Montana that's what I was focused on, that's what I was elected to do, he said. It was just distraction. It was noise on the outside.

McKamey said the state party hadnt given her financial support or other support in the past.

During an end-of-session news conference, Senate President Sen. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, and his allies expressed frustration about how the session went and accused the nine of essentially handing control of the chamber to Democrats.

We should have done better work; we should have had a working Senate Finance and Claims Committee, which we did not and that happened on Day 1, when that committee got, hijacked, basically, by the nine and the Democrats, said Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila.

Throughout the session, some Republicans who backed Senate leadership began referring to the group as the Nasty Nine. Regier said he didnt think their constituents would approve of what they did during the session, and he alluded to possible future primary elections.

I do believe the voters sent the Republican Party here to be in control, and from Day 1, it was not and I don't see thats sustainable, he said. I think that in the future, the voters are going to speak their mind.

Kassmier and McKamey denied that they gave Democrats control of the Senate. They said, when going back to their constituents, theyd stand on what they got done during the session.

I think we did a lot of good things and accomplished a lot for the state of Montana, said Kassmier. Once this all settles and once Montanans start seeing what we did, I think they should be pretty happy.

As the session ended, the two sides of the split each argued the other hadnt given them the consideration they were due. Regier said at his news conference that the nines cooperation with Democrats had essentially left the remaining 23 Republican senators without a voice as issues were negotiated. McKamey said she believed the split in the caucus could have been resolved sooner, but she didnt think leaders made a serious attempt at doing it.

I'm probably not going to look back on that, Regier said Wednesday in response to a reporter who asked if Senate leaders could have done more to heal the split. Like I just told a lot of my senators, I made all the right choices, for sure, in all of that. But going forward, I do believe that everybody should have a seat at the table.

I think that some actually didn't want to have reconciliation; they really wanted to have this, for whatever reason, Im not sure but I didnt, said McKamey. I can guarantee that I did not, and I would say most of the nine did not. Now we all have our own personalities in the nine we can call them the Noble Nine, we can call them whatever, but I'll own it: Well be the nine.

Montana Legislatures 69

session has officially come to a close and leaders have been looking back at what they got done over the last four months.

In 85 working days, the Legislature ended up passing more than 800 bills, advancing them to Gov. Greg Gianfortes desk.

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We've handled more bills this session than any session before, following our constitutional convention, said Senate President Sen. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, during a news conference after the Legislature adjourned Wednesday.

Gianforte held his first public bill signing after the session wrapped up in Thursday afternoon, officially approving a slate of bills revising Montanas environmental laws in response to last years ruling in the Held v. Montana climate lawsuit.

We were left with uncertainty by the Supreme Court's decision, Gianforte said. We've tightened up those loopholes, and this will make it easier to issue permits while protecting the environment at the same time, without adding undue red tape.

The environmental bills were among the top achievements House and Senate Republican leaders named when summing up the session. They also touted things like a reduction in income tax rates, millions of dollars in funding for state prisons, and standing up for conservative values on issues like gender transition.

We do have a lot of accomplishments, said Regier. I think the Senate, despite a lot of adversity, has really risen to the occasion.

There were differences between Senate and House Republicans when it comes to property tax reform and the state budget. Regier and other Senate Republican leaders criticized the eventual property tax plan the Legislature passed as a rearrangement of taxes rather than substantive relief, and they argued the Legislature should have done much more to trim government spending. House Republican leadership said the property tax and budget bills were imperfect, but that lawmakers had stll done good work with them.

House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, said those major bills had to be compromises in order to get a majority in the House and Senate and approval from the governor.

I think what we managed to do was find those areas where we could find agreement to get 51 and 26 and 1, and that's ultimately what this is about, he said.

Republican leaders made overhauling the judiciary a major priority this year. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, said about six or seven of the 27 bills proposed by a Republican-led committee investigating the judicial branch made it to the governor. He said those bills were a great foundation for increasing judicial transparency and accountability.

However, two of the biggest proposals creating a new government claims court to handle constitutional lawsuits and allowing judicial candidates to campaign with political party labels didnt move forward. House Speaker Rep. Brandon Ler, R-Savage, told reporters after adjournment that there had been late discussions about Gianforte attempting to bring back a proposal to allow partisan judicial candidates through an amendatory veto. In the end, that final attempt didnt happen.

It was a push that the majority of the caucus wanted there was always a few, and I respect their opinions, but I wasn't going to give up on it easy, Ler said. So it was always kind of an ace in the hole that just didn't quite play out.

Legislative Democrats pointed to the defeat of partisan judicial elections as one of their biggest goals and successes for the session.

The Republicans brought 27 bills to take over and dismantle our courts, and we killed 21 of them, said House Minority Leader Rep. Katie Sullivan, D-Missoula, at a news conference. We killed the worst one, in our opinion which is partisanship into judicial elections not once, but at least five separate times.

Democrats also celebrated bills that made additional investments into education funding and child care. Another particular success they pointed to was the elimination of the sunset date for Montanas Medicaid expansion program.

That sends a clear message to the governor and to Washington, D.C.: Montanans expect and demand the health care coverage they get through the Medicaid program, said Senate Minority Leader Sen. Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade.

Democrats remained a minority at the Legislature this year, but held a larger share of seats than in 2023 60 instead of 48. Leaders said that made a difference.

It has been because of the 12 more seats we've had in this building the Democrats have been able to bring these issues to the table, and the final product has been much better, Sullivan said.

As of Thursday evening, 219 bills from the 2025 Legislature have been signed into law. Another 597 have passed the Legislature and will be on their way to Gianfortes desk.

A bill has to be signed by the speaker of the House and president of the Senate before it officially goes to the governor. Gianforte will then have ten days to sign or veto them. If he takes no action, the bill will become law without his signature.

For bills that appropriate state money, including House Bill 2, the main state budget bill, the governor has the authority to use a line-item veto: vetoing only specific sections in the bill while letting the rest become law.