2025 Montana Legislative Session

Western Native Voice is a powerful advocate for Native American issues at the Montana State Legislature. We actively encourage our members to engage in the legislative process and hold elected officials accountable for addressing the concerns of Native communities in Montana. Our efforts are driven by strong communication tactics, partnerships with both Native and non-Native allies, and close relationships with tribal governments and tribal colleges. Ultimately, our success is rooted in the dedication and involvement of our members.

Below, you’ll find a collection of resources, tools, and important information to help you stay informed and get involved in the legislative process. This includes a list of bills that we support and oppose, as well as actions you can take to make a difference.

For a complete list of information on the 2025 legislative session, visit the official Montana Legislature website at leg.mt.gov.


Find Out What Happened At The Last Legislative Session!

View and download our 2023 Legislative Score Card here


Get Involved

  • Contact Your Representatives:
    Reach out to your legislators by phone or email to voice your support, concerns, or suggestions regarding proposed bills that impact Native communities. Your input is essential to shaping policies that serve our communities.
  • Attend Hearings:
    Add important hearing dates to your calendar and attend sessions to stay informed about the issues that matter most to Native communities. Simply observing the process can help you better understand how decisions are made.
  • Spread the Word:
    Encourage your friends, family, and community members to testify, write letters, or get involved in advocacy efforts. The power of collective voices can make a significant impact on legislative outcomes.
  • Stay Updated:
    Follow news updates, the Montana Legislature’s website, and local community organizations to stay informed about the latest bills, hearings, and legislative actions. Keeping up-to-date ensures you are prepared to take action when needed.

    Together, we can make our voices heard and ensure that Native American issues are front and center in Montana’s legislative process.

Legislative Lookup Tool

Enter your address here to find and contact your local elected officials.

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Bill Lookup Tool

Search for specific bills in the Montana State Legislature.

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Testify

Have your say in the Legislature! Sign up to testify or upload your testimony.

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Why the Legislative Session Matters

  • Influence Policy: Decisions made during this session will affect education, healthcare, land use, economic opportunities, and more—issues that matter to Native communities and beyond.
  • Community Impact: Your input can ensure legislation reflects the values, traditions, and needs of the people it serves.
  • Empowerment: When citizens engage, representatives gain the insight they need to shape fair and effective laws.

Bills of note in the 2025 session

2025 Legislative Bills
WNV Supports

HB 15 – Implement K-12 Inflation

HB 93 – Establish compensation for wrongful conviction

HJ 1 – Resolution urging Congress to fully fund law enforcement

SB 224 – Create Indigenous Peoples’ Day

SB 180 – Allow consideration of a Child’s American Indian Cultural Heritage in Child Custody and Placement Proceedings

LC0441 – Provide Tribal Property Tax Exemption for Tribal Members

SB 220 – Generally revise election laws and procedures

SB 8 – Allow online voter registration

SB 25 – Revise election laws regarding disclosure requirements for the use of AI in elections

SB 72 – Provide presumptive eligibility for Medicaid coverage of home and community-based services

SB 311 – Enhance legislative understanding of state-tribal relations

LC4141 – Generally revise election procedures on Indian reservations

HB 83 – Establish state special revenue account for Montana Missing Indigenous Person Task Force

SB 107 – Provide for human trafficking prevention education in public schools

HB 297 – Establish requirements for paid sick days

LC4234 – Provide funding for the enforcement of Public Law

HB 403 – Generally revise laws related to state hospital

HB 499 – Extend the grow your own grant program

LC2329 – Provide for treaty right recognition laws

LC2330 – Revise cultural patrimony and heritage items laws

LC0526 – Refund rental application fee

LC0547 – Revise requirements for rental security deposit refund

SB 219 – Revise membership of board of housing and require tribal and veteran representation

SB 313 – Revise laws relating to wage transparency

SB 507 – Revise laws related to prohibiting book banning

SB 225 – Provide tax rebates for renters

SB 312 – Generally revise laws for crime victims

LC0132 – Enhance sentencing for hate crimes

SB 506 – Generally revise legislative email procedures

HB 177 – Revise tobacco, alternative nicotine, and vapor product laws

HB 245 – Revise the Montana HELP Act workforce development provisions and termination date

HB 252 – Create the student and teacher advancement for results and success act (STARS)

HB 282 – Revise laws related to tuition waiver laws for American Indian students.

HB 310 – Establish grant program to increase community shelter capacity for homeless population.

HB 336 – Provide for apprentiship programs for certain license types

HB 358 – Generally revise pension laws related to the Volunteer Firefighters’ Compensation Act.

HB 385 – Establishing the school mental health promotion pilot program

HB 423 – Revise election laws related to active and inactive voter lists

HB 440 – Providing tax incentives to put Montana-produced food first

HB 448 – Establish the Jim Loud Thunder Gopher memorial highway

HB 456 – Provide best beginnings scholarships to child care workers

HB 457 – Revise Best Beginnings eligibility

HB 484 – Revise minimum wage laws to provide increases

HB 545 – Revise missing and murder indigenous person laws

HB 649 – Establish a farm to food bank program

HB 651 – Allow for temporary door locks during emergency situations

HB 56 – Establish ambulance provider assessment fee program

HB 560 – Establish the Montana hunters and anglers community fund

HB 750 – Provide for annual increase of Medicaid provider reimbursement rates

HR 3 – Resolution to protect online personally identifiable information

SB 526 – Generally revise community health aide program laws

SB 104 – Expanding access to low-cost capital to certain eligible projects and entities

SB 105 – Generally revise election laws related to electioneering at polling locations

SB 181 – Generally revise Indian education for all laws

SB 182 – Generally revise MT Indian language preservation program

SB 187 – Generally revise medicaid laws

SB 219 – Revise membership of board of housing to require tribal and veteran representation

SB 281 – Revise electioneering laws

SB 303 – Require agency reporting on financial assistance to tribes

SB 314 – Revise election laws to prohibit a political party from nominating a replacement candidate when the original candidate is found to be ineligible

SB 319 – Generally revise health care laws related to doulas

SB 325 – Creating family and medical leave act

SB 369 – Strengthen suicide prevention efforts in schools

SB 378 – Restore tribal relations manager at DPHHS as a statutory position

SB 296 – Enhance penalty for crime against vulnerable person

2025 Legislative Bills
WNV Opposes

SB 199 – Revise Medicaid expansion program

HB 286 – Revise election laws to provide for verification of an elector’s citizenship

HB 216 – Allow FW Commission to issue deer and elk hunting licenses to private landowners within the Flathead Indian Reservation

SB 11 – Revise local government ballot issue laws

SB 20 – Prohibit retired judges from hearing constitutional cases

SB 91 – Require citizenship markers on driver’s license and ID cards

HB 322 – Reduce the number of associate judges on MT Supreme Court

HB 366 – Provide appropriation to DOJ for Lake County reimbursement related to PL 280

HB 413 – Revise election laws regarding residency

HB 460 – Amending the constitution to provide for electors of a county to call a grand jury

HB 471 – Revise education laws related to human sexuality and identity instruction

HB 479 – Require candidates for office to disclose foreign citizenship (or if they are a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe)

HB 482 – Provide that local government elections be partisan

HB 557 – Revise education laws related to PIR days and meetings of teacher organizations

HB 613 – Revise laws related to state aid to public libraries

HB 618 – Establishes the Montana Individual Freedom Act, which prohibits state and local government agencies and the Department of Military Affairs from spending funds on organizations that discriminate or on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and social activism.

HB 646 – Elect supreme court by districts

HB 635 – Revise human rights laws to prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion programs

HB 638 – Revise human rights laws

HB 663 – Revise education laws related to diversity, equity, and inclusion

HB 677 – Require suspension of a driver’s license if driving without insurance

HB 687 – Revise age of expanded Medicaid participants required to engage in community engagement activities

LC 0654 – Provide for reinstating the judicial nominating commission

LC 2228 – Repeal and revise the executive’s authority to negotiate gas compacts with tribes

LC 3511 – Repeal legislative and state approval of water compact

LC 4246 – Require land board to deny state land trust exchanges with tribes

SB 128 – Revise county clerk and recorder election laws

SB 129 – Revise voter registration laws to include party preference

SB 298 – Revise duties of the secretary of state

SB 334 – Providing medicaid expansion to able-bodied adults who comply with community engagement requirements

SB 476 – Defining separation of powers

SB 385 – Create a general claims court

SB 490 – Revise election laws regarding late registration

SB 42 – Provide for the partisan election of judges and justices

SB 45 – Create a judicial performance evaluation commission and system

SB 382 – Requiring acceptance of religious or conscience exemptions to immunizations

SB 407 – Revise education laws to prohibit certain flags and banners in school and require phrase “In God we trust” displayed in each classroom of a public school

SB 415 – Generally revise milk laws