As the March 3 transmittal deadline approached, numerous bills introduced at the Montana Legislature faced defeat, leading to their official disposal in the Capitol’s recycling bin. This deadline marked the last chance for non-budget bills to make progress by clearing at least one legislative chamber.
Lawmakers were in a race against the clock during the transmittal date, which marked the midpoint of the biennial legislative session. This crucial deadline led to a hectic week as they hurriedly worked to address pending matters before the legislative calendar imposed its strict time constraints.
Amid the rush, legislators debated 319 bills on the House and Senate floors in marathon sessions Wednesday and Thursday, forwarding measures that would, among other things, deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in tax rebates to Montana residents, ban drag shows in public spaces where minors are present and authorize the creation of charter schools. Lawmakers also voted down bills that would have, for example, enacted a work requirement for people on Montana’s expanded Medicaid program and provided for partisan judicial elections.
According to a Montana Free Press tally, lawmakers have introduced 1,413 measures so far this year, 1,316 of them bills that would amend state law or allocate state dollars, as opposed to resolutions, constitutional amendments or ballot proposals.
As of Friday, 802 bills had cleared at least one of the two legislative chambers that must endorse them before Gov. Greg Gianforte can sign them into law — 484 introduced in the Montana House and 318 in the Montana Senate. More budget bills, which face a later April 3 transmittal deadline, will likely clear their first-chamber milestone in the coming weeks.
Both budget bills and constitutional amendment proposals, which face an April 7 transmittal deadline, will likely be a focus of the session’s second half. For example, Rep. Bill Mercer, R-Billings, pledged Friday to bring a constitutional amendment proposal that, if approved by lawmakers and then passed by voters, would make the Montana Supreme Court an appointed body.
“The real work begins after transmittal. That’s when we begin to tackle the big bills,” Senate Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, told lawmakers as the Senate concluded a day-long floor session Thursday evening. “More importantly, we need to come to a collective agreement here on how we’re going to use the remainder of the surplus. There are issues we need to address in the state.”
Upon their departure for the post-transmittal break, Republicans proudly celebrated their accomplishments in the legislative realm. One notable triumph worth mentioning is the successful passing of a comprehensive set of bills. These bills aim to allocate a significant portion of the state’s estimated $2.5 billion budget surplus, specifically over $1 billion, towards various spending initiatives. Notably, among these initiatives are one-time property and income tax rebates.
The approved rebate bills allocate a total of $764 million for income tax rebates, allowing each taxpayer to receive up to $1,250, while homeowners can receive property tax rebates of up to $1,000. Additionally, the package includes other bills that reduce business equipment and income taxes continuously, allocate funds towards infrastructure projects, and contribute to reducing state debt. These bills have successfully passed through both the House and Senate, and the Republican governor has expressed intentions to sign them into law.
“Montanans sent the Republican supermajority to Helena this session, and we are delivering the property and income tax rebates that they deserve,” Speaker of the House Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, said in a Wednesday press appearance.
Regier also touted the GOP’s social agenda, citing the drag show bill, a measure that makes it easier to prosecute teachers for sharing allegedly obscene materials with students, and a bill that would require content filters on electronic devices as efforts to protect children from obscenity.
Regier further emphasized, “The House acknowledges that Montana is now attracting families seeking refuge from woke extremism. Individuals are relocating to Montana not only for the enhanced standard of living but also for the exceptional caliber of leadership.”
In the latter half of the session, the Montana Senate has successfully approved a bill prohibiting gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, which will now proceed to the House for further consideration.
In addition, the GOP has successfully guided multiple bills aimed at reforming the court system and its procedures. These bills include modifications to injunction standards and the appointment process for the state’s judicial discipline commission. Republicans argue that these changes serve as reasonable safeguards against judicial power, while Democrats and other supporters of the judiciary have condemned them as an evident partisan attempt to gain more control.
On Thursday, Fitzpatrick expressed his admiration for the extensive range of injunction bills we have successfully passed. Additionally, he highlighted our remarkable progress in addressing numerous subjects, including housing and legal reform, through an extensive package of bills on this floor. Our achievements are truly commendable.
At their own press event Friday, minority-party Democrats touted their own legislative victories, such as killing anti-union right-to-work legislation and advancing a bill to increase nursing home funding. They also lambasted what they called “reckless” spending by the Republican majority.
“We have a generational opportunity right now to invest in real problems in our communities, in childcare, affordable housing, and things that we’re hearing from families and businesses every day that are real issues,” said House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, D-Helena.
Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, criticized Republicans’ focus on what he called “pop politics,” the nationalized debates over subjects like transgender expression and school curricula.
Flowers stated that across the entire nation, they import teachers and subject them to scrutiny. This sudden negative perception of teachers is concerning. Flowers questions why this is the case, suggesting that it stems from a pervasive national narrative that portrays teachers as somehow harmful to our children.
Flowers expressed dissatisfaction with the Republican tax rebates, viewing them as temporary and regressive solutions to address the challenges of property taxes and the high cost of living that working-class Montanans encounter.
Receiving checks in the mail brings initial joy, but it quickly fades as you resume the struggle of finding ways to cover your expenses. Moreover, there is a lack of significant and enduring tax relief.
The Legislature will reconvene on Thursday, March 9, following a break after the transmittal of documents.
