Alerts & Actions
MHRN 2023 LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY, WEEK 7
Attacks on First Amendment rights and democracy are on our radar this week. We’re preparing for some big floor sessions next week, so messages to your legislators are especially important!! Remind them that threatening the authority of the independent judiciary and our freedom of expression are unconstitutional actions.
We’re laser focused on making sure you have all the information you need to send powerful, clear messages to your legislators. Let’s raise our voices and speak up for each other and the Montana and U.S. Constitution!
Top action items!
Tell the House Judiciary Committee NO on HB 359 (drag show ban) and YES on HB 432, which would protect the right to abortion under the Armstrong decision.
Tell the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote NO on SJ 11, which claims the Montana Supreme Court Decisions are only advisory and can be disregarded by the Legislature.
KEEP READING FOR ACTION ITEMS ON LGBTQ RIGHTS, PROTECTING DEMOCRACY, AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS!
Write or call 2-3 times each week!
We know that we can score some big wins if a few more people commit to sending 2 to 3 emails a week on the 2 to 3 bills they care about most. Our updates will help make this simple and manageable, so stay tuned!
How to contact your legislators
It’s easy to contact them by phone or email, so don’t be shy about sharing your thoughts with them.
Look up your legislators here.
Call the very friendly Capitol operators at (406) 444-4800. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and you can leave messages for up to 5 individual legislators or 1 legislative committee per call.
Send an email using contact information from the legislative roster or using the online email form. The email form is especially helpful when you’re emailing an entire committee.
- Click here to sign up to testify via Zoom, even if you live hundreds of miles from Helena. You must register by 5 pm on the day before a hearing.
Use our online action forms! If we have one active, it’ll be linked here
LGBTQ+ Rights
Say NO to the Slate of Hate
We’re calling anti-LGBTQ+ bills the Slate of Hate because they’re designed to incite fear, restrict access to healthcare, deny people the right to live as their authentic selves, and take away the freedom of expression.
Some of these hateful bills are moving through committees and to the floor, but don’t be discouraged. MHRN will fight bad legislation every step of the way and all the way to the courts, if needed! We won’t be quiet or give up.
Say NO to HB 359 – The House Judiciary Committee passed HB 359, which will have a vote on the House floor on Monday, February 20. Tell your legislator to vote NO because this bill is unconstitutional.
This anti-drag bill is a huge attack on freedom of expression and parental rights. HB 359 bans anyone under 18 from attending drag events, including drag story hours and drag bingo events, which are very popular. Businesses hosting drag events would be falsely labeled as “sexually oriented,” like strip clubs. Please show your support for the drag community on Saturday, February 18 at the Former Felons Ball events! Click here for showtimes and details.
Say NO to HB 361 – HB 361 passed the House and is waiting for a committee assignment in the Senate.
HB 361 would allow any student to deadname and misgender another student without consequences. The bill claims that this kind of harassment and intimidation would not be considered discrimination, leaving transgender, nonbinary, and Two Spirit students open to even more bullying than they already receive at school.
Update on HB 303 – HB 303 passed the House, and we’ll let you know when it is assigned to a committee in the Senate.
This so-called medical “conscience” bill sponsored by Rep. Amy Regier (R-Kalispell) would allow any health care provider to refuse service to any person for any reason without consequences. We are deeply concerned that this will will be used to deny healthcare to transgender, nonbinary, and Two Spirit people.
Update on HB 234 – HB 234 passed the house, and we will let you know when it is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate.
HB 234 claims to protect minors from “obscene” materials but actually infringes on the right to access information. HB 234 is unnecessary, misleading, and is specifically targeting a book with LGBTQ+ themes.
Update on SB 99 – SB 99 passed through the Senate and is waiting for a committee assignment. We will let you know when that happens so you can send written testimony or sign up to testify in person or on Zoom.
This bill is full of misinformation about transgender healthcare that its sponsor Sen. John Fuller (R-Whitefish) and other legislators are trying to pass off as fact. If you want accurate information about healthcare in Montana for transgender, nonbinary, and Two Spirit people, please read MHRN’s guide on this topic.
Indigenous Sovereignty
Say YES on SB 233 – The bill was heard by the Senate Legislative Administration Committee this week. Contact committee members and tell them to vote yes.
SB 233 would enhance legislative understanding of state-tribal relations. It requires the Legislative Services Division to enhance the information and trainings about Indigenous law, policy, and legal rights available to all legislators.
Say YES to HB 338 – This bill was approved by the House Education Committee, so please tell your Representative to vote yes.
HB 338 would improve the quality of Indian Education for All by enacting stricter reporting guidelines. Indian Education for All is enshrined in the Montana Constitution, and has been systematically under resourced for years. IEFA is a major point of pride for Montana’s Indigenous peoples and an important component of public education.
Say YES on HB 317– Please tell the House Human Services committee to support HB 317. They will be voting on it very soon.
For far too long, state and federal legislation has allowed the violent removal of Indigenous children from their living, loving families and communities. Montana still needs to reckon with its participation in Indian boarding schools and other forced separations that have caused intergenerational trauma and lasting harm. Indigenous people and child welfare professionals testified very strongly in favor of this bill.
MHRN supports HB 317 for many reasons, including coordinated attacks by extremist groups on Indigenous sovereignty. More information here.
Update on SB 141 – Unfortunately, this bill was tabled even though it had no opponents at its hearing. This article has more details. Indigenous people have been requesting for years that Indigenous Peoples’ Day be named a state holiday. We’ll keep supporting these efforts until that becomes a reality. Read more about Indigenous Peoples’ Day here.
Defending Democracy
MHRN is seeing outrageous attacks on voting rights, free and fair elections, independent courts, and individual rights in the 2023 Montana Legislative Session. Here are the bills we’re fighting this week.
Say NO to SJ 11 – This had a hearing in Senate Judiciary this week, so please contact them and tell them to vote no.
SJ 11 is a deeply concerning bill. It seeks to give the legislature the authority to determine the law, not the Supreme Court. This is a direct attack on the validity of the court system, our independent judicial branch, and the constitutionally prescribed separation of powers. If passed, SJ 11 would undermine checks and balances, and give the legislature undue authority.
Say NO to SB 311 – This passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, so please tell your Senator to vote no.
SB 311 would reduce the number of associate judges on the Supreme Court from 6 to 5, which would create more delays in the courts for the average person. There’s no advantage to this change, and there were no supporters of this bill during the hearing.
Say NO to SB 302 – This bill will be heard by the Senate State Administration early next week. Tell them to vote no.
SB 302 would allow candidates for a non-partisan race to indicate a political party affiliation on a declaration for nomination and to have that appear on the ballot. This law would apply to all non-partisan elections, not just judicial races. This would erode an independent judiciary and flood judicial races with partisan endorsements and funding.
Say YES to HB 511 – This bill had a hearing in the House State Administration Committee this week. Contact them and tell them to vote yes.
HB 511 limits self-financing of a candidate to their own campaign. This means that candidates have the same donation limits as anyone. These guidelines will make it easier for regular Montanans to run for office and harder for out of state millionaires to buy elections.
Say NO to SB 222 – The Senate passed this bill and it has been transmitted to the House. When it is assigned to committee we will let you know.
SB 222 would establish the Montana Individual Freedom Act, which would severely limit access to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) trainings for state employees. DEI trainings help everyone learn about the harmful impacts of discrimination, unconscious bias, intergenerational trauma, and chapters of our history that have been erased. This legislation falls in line with national organizations’ efforts to attack anti-racism efforts.
Reproductive Rights
Yes to HB 432 – This bill had a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee, so please tell those members to vote yes.
HB 432, sponsored by Rep. Laurie Bishop (D – Livingston) and supported by more than 35 cosponsors would codify the Armstrong decision, which specifically protects the right to abortion in our state. Abortion care needs specific protections because SB 154 is attempting to destroy the right to abortion protected by Armstrong.
Say YES to SB 315 – This bill has a hearing in the Education and Cultural Resources Committee on Monday, so please tell those committee members to vote yes.
SB 315 states that, if schools teach comprehensive sex education, it should be in line with national standards. The bill does not mandate which grades should have sex ed or what curriculum should be used, but recommends developmentally appropriate, medically accurate information without shame or judgement. This allows school districts local control and offers knowledge and skills about how to have healthy relationships, make informed decisions for themselves about sex, think critically about the world, be a good ally to those who are marginalized, and love themselves for who they are.
Economic Justice
NO on SB 121 – This bill was approved Senate and was assigned to the House Taxation Committee. Please tell those members to vote no.
According to the Montana Budget and Policy Center, SB 121 revises income tax laws in a way that cuts income taxes for the richest Montanans and is expected to cost nearly $180 million each year once fully phased in. Evidence has shown that the ultimate cost of cutting income taxes is not offset by new economic growth. When combined with other bills like HB 222, HB 221, HB 212, HB 189, HB 192, and HB 225, it will create revenue losses of almost $1 billion. That’s $1 billion that won’t be available to fund needed public services.
NO on HB 448 – This bill had a hearing in the House Business and Labor Committee on Friday, so tell the committee that this will harm Montana workers.
Union members turned out in force to the Capitol again to tell legislators that this bill is terrible for hardworking people. HB 448 will undermine wages, benefits, and safety on the job.