Report highlights Montana’s effort to curb sexual harassment by officials

A new annual report which focuses on sexual harassment by state and federal government leaders highlights efforts made by Montana, which comes in the midst of new allegations about a longtime Democratic legislator from Box Elder. 

The annual report, produced by the National Women’s Defense League, is broken into two separate documents, and details credible allegations of sexual abuse and harassment of state and federal officials. It has been produced since 2013 and it keeps a running tally of lawmakers who have been accused, as well as documenting what states are doing to prevent harassment.

The report was written prior to new allegations against state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, who is a current member of the Montana Senate and had been running for the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Two weeks ago, new allegations were made by a former legislative staffer who said he showed her nude pictures of himself, according to Lee Enterprises’ Seaborn Larson. Those new allegations are different from previously reported incidents.

Windy Boy dropped his bid to run for Congress, but remains an active member of the Montana Legislature, Senate officials said Tuesday. Windy Boy was running as a Democrat in the race for Montana’s Second Congressional District which is currently held by incumbent Republican Rep. Troy Downing. Windy Boy’s state Senate term expires in 2028. 

The Daily Montanan reached out to Windy Boy for comment, but received no response.

Lawmakers and Democratic party leaders urged Windy Boy to drop out of the federal race. Windy Boy dropped out on April 16, citing health reasons.

“I want it to be clear to all Montanans: Democrat or not, Windy Boy should be investigated and held accountable, as should anyone else with allegations of this nature,” said Montana Democratic Party Chairwoman Shannon O’Brien. 

The 2026 report highlights Montana as one of five states that took positive efforts to combat the problem of harassment by officials.The four other states praised for positive action taken were Colorado, Iowa, Ohio and Washington.

“These numbers reflect the prevalence of harassment in government, but not the extent of it,” the report’s executive summary said. “The National Women’s Defense League tracks only cases that become public through media reporting, court filings or official disclosures. Countless others remain hidden – constrained by retaliation, legal threats, confidential settlements and internal systems designed to protect institutions rather than survivors.”

In total the report highlights that 93% of those lawmakers accused are male, but the difference in political party is nearly equal, with 52% of those named in the report being Republican and 48% were Democrats.

The number of new lawmakers named in 2026 was six, down significantly from 2025’s total of 11, but closer to the typical trend the organization has seen since it began reporting in 2013. The notable difference was in 2017 through 2019, in which those years saw a spike of reports, which happened simultaneously with the “Me Too” movement. In 2017, NWDL saw 46 credible accusations; in 2018, that number went down slightly to 40; and in 2019, the number was 15. No other years have seen reports above a dozen.

The report praises Montana lawmakers for passing a study, Senate Joint Resolution 28, during the interim which will examine the ethics and adjudication process of lawmakers who are accused, including potential conflicts between the Legislature and the Commissioner of Political Practices. That office oversees complaints aimed at lawmakers and campaign finances, but limits what actions can be taken against a state lawmaker.

A final report on the study is due by Sept. 15.

SJ 28 recognized that there could be gaps between what the Legislature could do with a sitting lawmaker and what disciplinary actions the COPP could take. The legislation will also examine any gaps between the Legislature and COPP that would allow complaints to hit a bureaucratic brick wall.

The legislation in 2025 passed the House 66 to 34. The Montana Senate passed the resolution 40-8, with Windy Boy voting in favor of it by proxy.

The legislation was sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, a Democrat from Belgrade. Flowers has also said publicly that Windy Boy should step down. 

“Most sexual harassment policies governing state legislatures remain embedded in chamber rules or internal procedures that are not publicly accessible or enforceable through statute and remain subject to partisan leverage and conflicts of interest,” the NWDL said in its report. “No state has yet developed a comprehensive policy framework that equitably and effectively prevents abuse, supports survivors, addresses offenders’ behavior expediently or holds violators consistently accountable.”

The report lists lawmakers state by state, what position they’ve held, how many reports have been made credibly, and if they’re still in office. Windy Boy has served in both chambers of the Montana Legislature for a combined total of 26 years. During the last session, he was given the title of longest tenured member of the Montana Senate.