2023 legislative session

Montana lawmakers spent about seven hours on the House Floor Wednesday debating the state’s two-year spending plan before passing a proposed budget along party lines. Here's a breakdown of where money is and isn’t going.

A new Montana Department of Labor and Industry report shows there is more demand for childcare in Gallatin County than there are slots available.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte and legislators agree that Medicaid rates need to rise; where they disagree is by how much.

A bill creating a highway memorial for the country’s longest-serving elected tribal leader has reached the desk of Montana’s governor.

A bill moving through the Legislature would allow students who are being bullied to fight back in self-defense without repercussions from the school.

Lawmakers have spent the last week digging into budget negotiations as House Bill 2, the state's primary budget bill, takes shape. Some of the highest profile debates have been about health care access and how much the state pays Medicaid providers.

People who fly the drones over wildland fires could soon face criminal penalties under a bill gaining traction at the Legislature.

In 2021, Montana passed House Bill 702 — the first of its kind in the nation — which prohibited discrimination based on vaccine status in settings like employment, education, and health care. This year, lawmakers have introduced proposals to expand vaccine exemptions in schools and change criteria in the workplace and the legal system.

Hundreds of bills were left on the cutting room floor at the legislative session's midway point. Now, as lawmakers head into the second half, they're turning more of their attention to finalizing the state’s next two-year budget.