The Session

The 67th session of the Montana Legislature adjourned sine die Thursday, April 29.  During lawmakers' 80 days of work, 1,313 bills were introduced and as of mid-day Friday at least 302 had been signed into law.  In the final episode of The Session, Reporters from Montana Free Press, Yellowstone Public Radio and Montana Public Radio break down the outcomes.

As of mid-day Friday, 1,313  bills have been introduced and at least 267 have been signed into law. This week we're watching how the Republican majority is spending their mandate from voters as the session is winding down and last-minute legislation.  Committee chairs and legislative leaders have said this may be the final week of the 67th session of the Montana Legislature. Big pieces of policy remain on the table, like the state budget, how lawmakers will divvy up federal coronavirus relief funds, the regulatory and tax mechanism for recreational marijuana, and GOP priorities with social policy and tax cuts.

As of mid-day Friday, 1,297 bills have been introduced and at least 197 have been signed into law. This week we're watching a mounting dispute over separation of powers between the Legislature and the Montana Supreme Court. We're also watching the debate on a bill that would incentivize the state's largest utility to buy more of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant.

As of mid-day Friday, 1,282 bills had been introduced and at least 153 had been signed into law. This week we're watching the ideological split within the GOP over adult-use marijuana taxes, proposed changes to social safety net eligibility and parental rights.

As of mid-day Friday, 1,271  bills had been introduced and at least 135 had been signed into law. Major questions remain over new taxes cuts, funding state agencies, what to do with federal stimulus and recreational marijuana. Much of this work is under a Thursday deadline for appropriation and revenue bills, including regulations for marijuana, to move from one chamber to the other. The federal stimulus in the American Rescue Plan Act has given lawmakers a lot more money to work with this session. Legislators are making plans for how to spend more than $2 billion in a bill nicknamed ‘the beast,' which has passed the House and is now in the Senate.

As of mid-day Friday, 1,237  bills had been introduced and at least 74 had been signed into law. We're hitting the time of the session when more are on the way. This week we're watching the legal marijuana bill take shape, lawmakers consider the former governor's district court judge nominees and proposals to change elections in the state.

As of mid-day Friday, 1,183 bills have been introduced, 60 have been signed into law. This week we're watching the state budget, recreational marijuana and bills that would carry impacts for LGBTQ people.   

As of mid-day Friday, 1,148 bills had been introduced and Gov. Greg Gianforte 54 had been signed into law.  This week we're starting to see the state budget take shape, recreational marijuana regulations are coming soon, and Democrats try again with tax changes as Republican plans move forward.

As of mid-day, Thursday, 1,121 had been introduced and Gov. Greg Gianforte had signed 38 bills into law.  This week we're breaking down what made it past the transmittal deadline, what failed and where the session is going next.

As of midday Friday, Feb. 26, 1,128 bills had been introduced and Gov. Greg Gianforte had signed 28 into law.  Lawmakers who want to pass general policy bills have until Wednesday, March 3 to get them from one house to the other. This week, we're keeping an eye on key bills in the balance. If these laws don't make it past their first chamber before the mid-session break, they're likely dead. 

As of mid-day Friday, Feb. 19, 918 bills had been introduced and Gov. Greg Gianforte had signed three bills into law. This week we're watching legislation on tax policy, public health and labor unions. 

As of mid-day Friday 731 bills have been introduced, and Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed 2 bills into law. This week, we're watching bills about vaccines, Colstrip, and public assistance programs.

As of mid-day Friday, 594 bills had been introduced and Gov. Greg Gianforte had signed one bill into law. This week, we're watching bills that would cut taxes, implement “right to work” policies and end same-day voter registration in Montana. 

As of midday Jan. 29, 490  bills have been introduced, and there's one bill on Gov. Greg Gianforte's desk. This week, we're watching bills to make tribes pay more property taxes, make interim committees partisan, and expedite court hearings for child protective cases.

As of mid-day Jan. 22, 375 bills have been introduced, one bill has become law. This week, we're watching policy that could impact housing, voting, teacher pay.

As of Jan. 15, 296 bills have been introduced and none have been signed into law. This week, we're watching how lawmakers are proposing to change the role of public health officials, how the state is addressing missing Indigenous persons, and how the riot in D.C. could have ripple effects in Montana. 

As of midday Jan. 8, 234 bills have been introduced and none have yet been signed into law. We're expecting to see policy priorities introduced this week that will set the tone for the rest of the 90-day session. This week, we're watching a couple of different bills about gender, guns and COVID-19.

The campaign rhetoric, struggles for political power and results of the 2020 election converge in the 67th meeting of the Montana legislature. Join us for The Session, a breakdown of the latest action we're watching in the Montana statehouse, produced by Montana Public Radio, Yellowstone Public Radio and Montana Free Press.