Alerts & Actions
Final thoughts on the 2023 Montana Legislative Session
It’s over. The 2023 Montana Legislative Session has officially closed, and we are grateful for all of the calls, emails, rage, tears, hugs, laughter, and deep conversations we shared with you.
We always knew it was going to be rough. We faced this session knowing many bad bills were going to pass, but not without a fight from Montanans like you who genuinely care about freedom, equality, and justice.
We never imagined the vitriol, attempts to silence constituents and legislators, and attacks on our essential rights would be so aggressive. Call us optimists, but we thought legislators could focus on the biggest problems facing the state instead of corrosive culture wars.
In the midst of this worthless chaos, legislators passed a massive stack of bills that organizations like Upper Seven Law and the ACLU of Montana will be fighting in the months and years ahead. Please take a few moments to send them a donation so we can overturn unconstitutional laws and stop extremists from trying to control your personal lives and private decisions.
But it’s not all bad news. Here’s a list of accomplishments we won’t forget from the 2023 Legislative Session.
Working with amazing coalition members to educate and engage Montanans on Equality Day, February 20. Sending out a huge thank you to Forward Montana, Montana Women Vote, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana, EmpowerMT, TransVisible Montana, Blue Mountain Clinic, and BridgerCare for their organizing power that day!
Drag show and drag story hour at the Capitol on April 13. Joy and resistance emanated from every dazzling performer! If you missed it, check out some great photos here !
Destruction of HB 234, which would have given school librarians criminal penalties for following local school districts’ guidelines on adding books to library collections.
Major wins for Indigenous sovereignty ! Bills supporting Indian Education for All, a Montana version of the Indian Child Welfare Act, and revisions to Montana’s Indian Language Preservation program all passed and are waiting for Gov. Gianforte’s signature. Stay tuned for updates on this legislation as Montana American Indian Caucus members try to replace details that were removed during the legislative process.
Presenting facts to reporters and the public every damn day. Extremists were counting on little to no resistance to their misinformation campaigns, but voters and highly skilled professionals weren’t quiet.
Massive turnouts to important hearings! Thank you to every single one of you who took time out of your workweek to Zoom in or attend hearings in person. Your voices spoke truth to power.
We are incredibly proud of everything Montanans accomplished TOGETHER under such hostile conditions. Thank you for your persistence! Let’s keep showing up and pushing back against GOP legislators’ attempts to silence us!
Honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
May 5 is a National Day of Awareness for all missing and murdered Indigenous Women and girls. Today, we remember all Native girls and women who were victims of kidnapping and murder. Far too many are still missing or their cases have no been thoroughly investigated.
We call special attention to the recent death of Mika Westwolf, who died after a hit-and-run incident in April. Details in public information and local reports lead us to believe this tragedy should be investigated as a hate crime. Read more here .