Montana Freedom Caucus' 2025 Legislative Session Update - January 15, 2025

Vote Recommendations on Key Bills, Links, and Other Useful Information

TOP ACTION ITEM: (HB-121) Women’s Rights (No men in women’s bathrooms) Scheduled for Second Reading 1/15/2025

The following bills are positions taken by the Freedom Caucus. Each comes with a recommendation to vote YES or NO, and the bill number for each is a hyperlink allowing you to do your own research. All bills are aligned to the caucus’ 10 priorities as dictated by YOU the voter.

#1 - Reforming the Judicial System

• HB35 - Allocating judicial standards commission to the Department of Justice - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Fiona Nave

• SB45 - Create a judicial performance evaluation commission and system- Recommend YES - Sponsor is Tom McGillvray

• SB48 - Generally revise laws relating to Judicial Standards Commission complaints - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Carl Glimm

• SB38 - Generally revise laws relating to attorney fees and prevailing parties for veto overrides - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Greg Hertz

• SB39 - Generally revise attorney fee awards - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Greg Hertz

• SB40 - Revise supreme court public records laws by opening deliberations and files to the public - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Greg Hertz

• HB30 - Requiring the Supreme Court to apply a burden of proof for challenge to constitutionality of legislative act - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Lee Deming

• SB21 - Allowing legislative and executive leadership to vacate a writ of mandamus - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Barry Usher

• HB65 - Audit State Bar of Montana - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Lee Deming

• SB14 - Audit Office of Disciplinary Council - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Barry Usher

• SB31 - IOLTA Bill providing Interest back to client - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Barry Usher (AN ACT PROVIDING OPTIONS FOR THE HANDLING OF INTEREST ON ATTORNEY TRUST ACCOUNTS; AND PROVIDING THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE INTEREST ON LAWYER TRUST ACCOUNT PROGRAM IS VOLUNTARY)

• SB13 - Remove Supreme Court original jurisdiction for ballot review - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Daniel Emrich

• SB16 - Allowing legislative committees to find contempt for violation of legislative subpoena - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Mark Noland

• SB41 - Requiring substitution of district court judges by random selection - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Mark Noland

• SB49 - Exempt lawyers serving in certain public offices from professional disciplinary measure and proceedings for actions taken while in office - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Barry Usher

• HB36 - Disallowing judge to serve as chair of judicial standards commission- Recommend YES - Sponsor is Fiona Nave

• HB39 - Repeal law disallowing parties from contributing to judicial candidates - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Tom Millett

• SB15 - Revising grounds for impeachment - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Tom McGillvray

• SB52 - Create Montana Court of Chancery - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Tom McGillvray

• SB42 - Provide for the partisan election of judges and justices - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Daniel Emrich

• SB66 - Generally revise definitions relating to the judiciary - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Mark Noland

• HB52 - Generally revising administrative procedure laws relating to agency deference - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Lee Deming

• SB92 - Generally revise eligibility requirements to practice law in Montana - Recommend YES - Sponsor is John Fuller

#2 - Safeguarding Elections

• SB91 - Require citizenship marker on driver's license and identification cards - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Theresa Manzella (Senate Judiciary heard testimony 1/15/25)

• LC1848 - Constitutional amendment regarding qualified elector to require that only a citizen can vote - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Theresa Manzella

#3 - Stopping The Obama Medicaid Expansion

#4 - Cutting the State Budget

• SB94 - Generally revise public sector unions law - Recommend YES - Sponsor is John Fuller (No lobbying allowed by public sector unions on taxpayer time)

#5 - Banning Centralized Bank Digital Currencies and Environmental Social Governance

#6 - Reducing Property Taxes

• Senate Bill to come from Carl Glimm.

#7 - Banning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) programs

• LC1642 - An Act Eliminating Gender and Racial Balancing for Appointments by Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Councils of State Government - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Caleb Hinkle

#8 - Defending the Guard

#9 - Expanding Protections on Life

#10 - Illegal Immigration

• LC1641 - Provide for prosecution of state crimes for persons subject to federal immigration detention - Recommend YES - Sponsor is Caleb Hinkle

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Key Links:

1. Bill Explorer - Includes means to filter, track, and export. However, it is not as good as it was two years ago.

2. Senate

3. House

4. Montana Code Annotated

5. State Constitution

6. Session Information

7. Watch or Listen to Meetings

8. By Name Legislator Lookup

9. Voter Portal

Educational Articles:

1. Dangers of Medicaid Expansion

Worst Vote of the Day:

• The vote of Senator Usher’s “nasty-9” members of the Senate GOP.

  See the story HERE HERE and HERE

External Organizations

• Montana Family Foundation

• Defend the Guard

• Montanans for Limited Government

• Freedom Foundation

• State Freedom Caucus Network

Our Legislative Litmus Test Applied to All Bills

Top Ten Legislative Priorities

Montana Freedom Caucus Press Links

https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/gianforte-provides-state-of-the-state-democrats-freedom-caucus-respond

https://www.montanarightnow.com/news/state/state-of-the-state-is-strong-but-gianforte-says-work-is-far-from-over/article_7c8cefc4-02a6-56f9-8221-a045692928ae.html

https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2025-01-14/in-his-state-of-the-state-gianforte-lays-out-priorities-says-hes-ready-to-work

https://montanafreepress.org/2025/01/13/montana-governor-says-cut-taxes-hammers-social-issues-in-state-of-state-address/

https://helenair.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/photos-gov-gianforte-delivers-his-third-state-of-the-state-address/collection_f8edf0a0-d22d-11ef-b16f-3f2bac011d08.html

https://missoulacurrent.com/state-gianforte-budget/