Friday, March 7, marked the halfway point of the Montana legislative session, called "transmittal." Transmittal is the deadline for sending general bills to another chamber of the legislature and the last day to request appropriations bills.
When the session began, we at the ACLU of Montana knew that we had to stay focused on our key legislative issue areas: protecting democracy, fighting attacks on 2S-LGBTQIA+ Montanans, promoting Indigenous justice, and decriminalizing poverty. Reflecting on the past 48 days of the legislature, we want to say, "Thank you!" It is supporters like you who made the difference as we notched critical victories during the first half of the session. Time and time again, our communities showed up and showed out in opposition to harmful legislation.
Though there is now a break in legislative action until Thursday, March 13, this is no time to let up. Today we ask you to take action and oppose Senate Bill 437. Recently voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 4, the bill seeks to narrowly define people by their sex assigned at birth and reproductive capacity. SB 437 amends dozens of sections of the Montana code and harms transgender Montanans by classifying them based on their sex assigned at birth on everything from governmental records to insurance policies.
Click here to send a message to your state elected officials and ask them to vote no on SB 437.
Unfortunately, that's not the only bill attacking the 2S-LGBTQIA+ community:
House Bill 682 – OPPOSE
This legislation, once again, seeks to limit gender-affirming care by mandating that insurance companies also provide de-transitioning care. More critically, HB 682 extends the statute of limitations to allow for claims against medical providers who provide care—effectively intimidating those who would provide life-saving gender-affirming care. This bill passed out of the House Judiciary Committee on March 3. We urge supporters to contact their legislators to oppose HB 682.
In the continued push for protecting democracy and civil rights:
Senate Bill 490 – OPPOSE
This bill would close voter registration on the date before election day for federal elections, effectively ending same-day voter registration. This is another attempt to curtail our fundamental right to vote. This bill passed out of the Senate State Administration Committee on March 1. We urge supporters to contact their legislators to oppose SB 490.
Senate Bill 525 – OPPOSE
In this proposed legislation, public school districts would be permitted to adopt policies replacing school counselors with chaplains for students seeking support and services. This bill was heard in the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee on March 4. We urge supporters to contact their legislators to oppose SB 525.
Learn more about the bills we are tracking by visiting our website for details on our Legislative Advocacy page. Additionally, there are resources on how to engage in the legislative process and add your voice in support of civil liberties at our state legislature.
As we hit the halfway point, we feel hopeful but also realistic about the second half of the session once it fires up again on March 14. Thank you for showing up and showing out! Thank you for caring deeply about civil rights in Montana! Thank you for staying hopeful and determined! We are grateful for YOU!
