 Senate Republicans June 2023
Welcome to our new email newsletter that we just launched! This newsletter will provide regular updates, public policy details, and important information from Republican senators in the Montana State Legislature.
We look forward to discussing our wins in the 2023 legislative session that wrapped up in May as well as providing forward-looking information as senators prepare for the 2025 session.
Please help us spread the word about this newsletter as it is a new resource for Montanans! Here is the link to subscribe. If you no longer wish to receive these updates, you can unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of this email.
- The Legislature wrapped up its 2023 session in early May, but the work hasn't stopped. In June, legislation has continued to be signed or vetoed, lawmakers have been voting in veto override polls, and interim committees are getting up and running.
- Property tax appraisals have been hitting Montanans' mailboxes this month. Senator Greg Hertz (R-Polson) wrote an op-ed explaining what Montanans should know about these appraisals and their property taxes. Read it here.
- The Legislature passed almost $1 billion in property and income tax rebates that are soon heading back to Montanans. For more information, read this story from the Montana Free Press: How to claim your Montana tax rebates.
- Over the past weekend, suspicious threatening letters containing a white powder began arriving in legislators' mailboxes. To date, 4 such letters have been received, all addressed to Republicans serving in the Montana House of Representatives. The powder in one of the letters thankfully tested negative for harmful substances on Monday and all of the recipients are feeling fine. You can read more about the situation from the Montana Television Network, the Montana Free Press, and the Helena Independent Record.
- A handful of lawsuits seeking to overturn new laws passed by the 2023 Legislature have already been filed, including lawsuits to: overturn several pro-life bills, stop the Legislature's school choice reforms, block SB 99 which prohibits transgender surgeries for children, and stop two bills aimed at increasing reliable energy production and mining. The China-owned social media app TikTok has also filed suit to block the new law banning TikTok in Montana.
- Helena District Court Judge Mike Menahan has temporarily blocked the pro-life bills from taking effect while the lawsuits continue.
Pro-housing legislation having an early impact
SB 323, sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Trebas (R-Great Falls), to allow duplexes in all residential zones of 5,000+ population towns in Montana is already having an impact, despite not yet going into effect. The Whitefish city council recently voted to exempt duplexes as well as single-family residences from a landscaping ordinance that council members noted was costly and burdensome. The city council said they were making that change to comply with SB 323 and indicated they would have kept the costly, unnecessary regulations in place for duplexes if the Legislature hadn't prevented them from doing so.
Republican senators representing the Flathead Valley (Sens. Carl Glimm, Keith Regier, Mark Noland, John Fuller, & Greg Hertz) explained the situation in a column you can read at the Flathead Beacon, Daily Inter Lake, KJJR, or the Whitefish Pilot.
Judicial reform in action
SB 191 by Senate Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick (R-Great Falls) was one of the first bills signed into law by Governor Gianforte and strengthened the preliminary injunction standards in Montana courts to match those of the federal judiciary. The new standards were noted by District Court Judge Mike Menahan in a recent ruling when the judge said "The Legislature, with its recent enactment to mirror federal law, I think, has the court consider [the legal matters and evidence].”
Policy Spotlight💡
Health Care
Senate Bills
The 2023 legislative session featured significant reforms in health care policy, both from a free market approach and using state investments in services such as mental health care. Here are some of the Senate Bills addressing health care that passed into law:
Senator Tom McGillvray and Rep. Jodee Etchart
Sen.Tom McGillvray and Rep. Jodee Etchart, both Billings Republicans, wrote an op-ed that was published in papers across the state this month highlighting 5 health care bills that they were responsible for passing.
Legislature Expanded Access To Affordable Health Care
"The United States’s health care system is a mess of complex regulations and layers of bureaucracy. It’s also expensive. But Republicans in the Montana Legislature have made great strides in recent years to address what problems we can at the state level.
We’ve emphasized improving health care by giving Montanans more options, reducing regulations, and giving doctors more freedom to practice medicine. In the 2021 Legislature, for example, we relaxed regulations on tele-health, opening the door for more affordable and convenient visits over the phone or through videoconferencing. That year we also expanded direct patient care allowing doctors to bypass insurance companies and contract directly with their patients.
We built on that foundation in the 2023 legislative session that recently wrapped up. The two of us passed five new health care laws: Senate Bills 112 and 564 by Sen. Tom McGillvray and House Bills 313, 392, and 665 by Rep. Jodee Etchart. The reforms are designed to increase access to care and provide more affordable options..."
You can read their full column here.
 Sen. McGillvray also joined the radio program "Montana Talks" to discuss the health care legislation and other topics.
Senators Jason Small and John Esp
Sens. Jason Small (R-Busby) and John Esp (R-Big Timber) highlighted other major health care bills in their own op-ed published throughout the state.
Legislature’s Health Care Investments Will Help Montana Families
"We would wager that nearly every Montana family has struggled in some way with mental health, diabetes, or postpartum health care. The 2023 Legislature made unprecedented investments in all three of those areas that together will positively impact families in every corner of our state...
Senate Bill 340 by Sen. Small is a straightforward yet game-changing policy for Montanans who need insulin and have private health insurance coverage. The bill puts an upper limit on what Montanans have to pay out-of-pocket for their insulin: $35 per month...
House Bill 872, sponsored by Flathead Republican Rep. Bob Keenan, makes a generational investment into mental health care. Over the next several years that legislation will spend $300 million of Montana’s budget surplus to reform and revamp our state’s behavioral health care system...
The Legislature allocated $6.2 million in state and federal funding in HB 2 to significantly expand postpartum health care for mothers on the state’s Medicaid program. This additional funding expands postpartum medical coverage—from only 60 days to a full 12 months—for over 1,000 mothers..."
You can read their full column here.
 Senator John Esp (left) and Senator Jason Small (right)
Recognition for the Legislature's health care reforms
- Edward Timmons, a professor and director of the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation at West Virginia University penned a column in the Missoulian, saying "Montana is now a national leader on health care reform" as he highlighted two of Sen. McGillvray and Rep. Etchart's bills.
- The Montana policy think tank The Frontier Institute noted that the Montana Legislature's health care reforms are setting a national example, writing: "Instead of doubling down on failed policies that rely on a ‘government cures all’ philosophy, Montana leaders have instead opted to remove the government barriers to affordable healthcare and unleash the power of the free market." You can read their highlights here.
- Kaiser Health News and the Montana Free Press highlighted Montana's work to extend postpartum health care coverage for new mothers in this story.
- Montana Public Radio featured the Legislature's $300 million "generational investment" in mental health care in this story.
- Senate President Jason Ellsworth, Pro Tempore Ken Bogner, and Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick wrote a column summarizing the major successes of the 2023 legislative session. Billings Gazette: The major wins of the 68th Legislature (no paywall version available here)
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Politico wrote a great story on how Senator Daniel Zolnikov (R-Billings) overcame a major lobbying effort from big tech companies to pass one of the strongest consumer data privacy laws in the nation. Politico: How Montana passed the strongest privacy law among red states
- The Colorado Sun explained that while Democrats in Colorado "fumbled" legislation to improve affordable housing in their state, Republicans in Montana achieved massive successes. Senators Daniel Zolnikov (R-Billings) and Jeremy Trebas (R-Great Falls) are featured in the story. Colorado Sun: Why could Montana Republicans reshape land use but Colorado Democrats couldn’t?
- Nathan Dugan, president of the Whitefish-based, pro-housing group Shelter WF, wrote a column celebrating the Legislature's wins on housing policy. Bozeman Chronicle: A banner year for housing reform in the Legislature
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Governing is the latest national outlet to write about the "Montana miracle" of pro-housing legislation passed by Republican senators. Governing: Bipartisan Hope for Affordable Housing Emerges in the West
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The Center Square wrote a story about Sen. Terry Vermeire's (R-Anaconda) bill to stop financial companies from tracking Montanans' gun purchases. Center Square: New Montana law bans firearm sales tracking by financial institutions
- Dan Currell at the National Security Institute at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia School of Law endorsed Montana's approach to combatting China. Newsweek: Montana Is Writing the Playbook on How To Deal With China
- Sen. Greg Hertz (R-Polson) penned a column responding to legislative Democrats, writing that "while Democrats wailed about commonsense Republican bills to protect our families, children and way of life from a woke, liberal, out-of-touch agenda," Republicans were passing an eye-popping number of policy priorities for Montanans. Montana Standard: Republicans delivered on policies (if you can't get past the paywall, read it here)
- Sens. Daniel Zolnikov (R-Billings) and Shane Morigeau (D-Missoula) wrote a bipartisan op-ed about how Zolnikov's SB 178 is making Montana a business-friendly state for cryptocurrency. Missoulian: Montana leads the way on cryptocurrency framework
- Senate President Jason Ellsworth (R-Hamilton) again called on the U.S. Senate to address financial services in the marijuana industry. KJJR: SAFE Banking Act will Make Montanans Safer
Legislative Council
Legislative Council has had its first two meetings of the interim, discussing staffing needs at the Legislature, bill volume and workload, and long-term plans for space within the Capitol building. Speaker of the House Matt Regier is chairing Legislative Council. Senators Jason Ellsworth, Steve Fitzpatrick, and Ken Bogner are the Senate Republican members.
Legislative Audit
The Legislative Audit Committee welcomed its new members and got right to work reviewing a number of financial and performance audits of numerous state agencies. One of those audits led to a good discussion about FWP's hunting bonus point and licensing systems that made the news. Jason Ellsworth, Chris Friedel (R-Billings), and Forrest Mandeville (R-Columbus) are the Republican senators on the committee.
Legislative Finance Committee
The Committee had its introductory meeting in June. Republican senators on the committee are Tom McGillvray (R-Billings), John Esp (R-Big Timber), and Carl Glimm (R-Kila).
Criminal Justice Oversight Council
The Council had its introductory meeting. Sen. Chris Friedel is the Senate Republican member of the council.
Legislative Consumer Committee
The Committee had its introductory meeting with Daniel Zolnikov (R-Billings) and Brad Molnar (R-Laurel) serving as the Senate Republican members.
MARA
The Modernization and Risk Analysis (MARA) Committee held its introductory meeting. John Esp (R-Big Timber) is the Senate Republican member.
Education
The Education Interim Committee will have its first meeting on June 28. Dan Salomon (R-Ronan), John Fuller (R-Kalispell), and Daniel Emrich (R-Great Falls) are the Senate Republican members.
Letter to Congress
Senate President Jason Ellsworth, President Pro Tempore Ken Bogner, and Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick wrote to Montana's congressional delegation, urging them to oppose the EPA's proposed regulations that threaten reliable energy production and the very existence of the town of Colstrip.
This newsletter is from Senate Republicans in the Montana Legislature. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up for this newsletter and follow our caucus on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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