New bills see the light of day

The 67th regular session of the Montana Legislature convened on Monday, Jan. 4, for a 90-day legislative session. The state congress is tasked with combating the ongoing pandemic, organizing the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, distributing federal aid to at-risk people, implementing a recently-passed 300-page recreational marijuana bill and adapting to the leadership of newly elected Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) and President Joe Biden (D). Republicans control both the Montana House of Representatives and Senate, 67-33 and 31-19 respectively.

Friday, March 12 marked the 50th day of the current legislative session. As of that date, 1,151 bills had been introduced with 2,210 bills unintroduced. The introduced bills cover a wide range of issues such as transgender rights, gun rights, tax revenue, voter registration, abortion laws and Mother’s Day. The legislature was also busy confirming Gianforte’s new cabinet members. Listed below are some notable bills.

House Bill 112: Save Women’s Sport’s Act

House Bill 112 (HB112) was introduced by John Fuller (R-Kalispell) of House District 8. This bill requires public school athletic programs to be expressly designated as male, female or co-ed. HB112 also bars any biological-males from competing in a sport that is designated for females. Much of the original language has been struck from the bill including the phrase, “There will always be significant numbers of boys and men who would beat the best girls and women in head-to-head competition.” The bill was referred to the Judiciary Committee for further review.

House Bill 136: Montana Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act

House Bill 136 (HB136) was introduced by Lola Sheldon-Galloway (R-Great Falls) of House District 22. HB136 lays out language that prevents the abortion of any fetus 20 weeks or older. Violation of the law would be a felony. The bill has been passed by the legislature and is in the enrolling and final preparation process.

House Bill 102: General Revision of Gun Laws

House Bill 102 (HB102) was introduced by Seth Berglee (R-Red Lodge) of House District 58. The bill removes restrictions on concealed carry throughout the state but specifically mentions the Montana University System. “Any significant prohibition upon the possession of firearms at or on the various campuses of the Montana University System [MUS] calls into question the rights that the people have reserved to protect themselves from government interference,” Berglee said. HB102 allows a concealed weapon to be carried on campus, in banks and in other public areas. The bill was signed by Gov. Gianforte and became official law on Thursday, Feb. 18. However, the bill doesn’t go into affect on MUS campuses until Tuesday, June 1.

House Bill 176: Closing Late Voter Registration at Noon the Day Before the Election

House Bill 176 (HB176) was introduced by Sharon Greef (R-Missoula) of House District 88. HB176 will close regular voter registration 30 days before the election and end same-day voter registration. Instead, new voters would have to register at noon the day before the election. The bill was sent to the State Administration Committee and is currently under consideration.

Senate Bill 61: Mother’s Day Weekend as a Free Fishing Weekend

Senate Bill 61 (SB61) was introduced by Pat Flowers (D-Bozeman) of Senate District 32. SB61 amends Section 87-2-311 of the Montana Code to read: “Each year on Father’s Day and Mother’s Day weekends, a person may fish for any fish within this state without obtaining a fishing license.”

At the time of publication, there are still 40 days left for Montana’s 67th Legislative Session. Still on the docket is the appropriation of funds from the CARES Act, review and application of the recreational marijuana bill and forming plans to allocate the money arriving from the recently-passed federal stimulus package.

For a complete list of the introduced and unintroduced bills in this legislative session, visit

http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/LAW0217W$BAIV.return_all_bills?P_SESS=20211.