MTLeg Weekly Debrief: Week Of January 23-27
The Frontier Institute has identified four new Key Bills, thirteen Red Tape Relief Bills passing floor votes and four Key Bill Updates for the week of January 23-27, 2023.
SB 178 highlights a critical component of Frontier Institute’s 2022 Energy Strategy and protects the nascent crypto industry from government overreach. Cryptocurrency mining operations will play an important role in enabling an abundant energy future for Montana by expanding demand and frequency response capabilities that further increase our energy grid resilience, reliability and stability. Among other important reforms, SB 178 would prohibit the Public Service Commission (PSC) from establishing discriminatory energy rates that apply only to crypto mining centers, and also protects crypto currency mining from discriminatory local zoning regulation.
Current Status: Senate Business, Labor, and Economic Affairs Committee Hearing Cancelled
SB 200 allows judicial candidates to indicate their party affiliation or endorsement. Their party affiliation will appear next to the candidate’s name on the general election ballot. SB 200 aims to improve transparency about the political leanings of judicial candidates in Montana, helping to ensure the judiciary is accountable to the people.
Current Status: Referred to Senate State Administration Committee
SB 201 ensures that judges and justices are removed from cases when they have received significant campaign contributions from one of the parties in the case. The bill ensures a judge’s recusal if they have received such campaign contributions within the last six years. SB 201 aims to mitigate judicial bias and conflicts of interest by ensuring a judge or justice is not swayed by a party’s past financial support.
Current Status: Senate Judiciary Committee hearing scheduled for January 26th at 9:00AM
HB 294 follows Frontier Institute’s recommendations to expand education options for Montana students. After the funding cap for the public school innovation program and cap for the private school scholarship tax credit were met in record time in 2022, HB 294 aims to increase these funding caps so that more parents and students have access to an education system of their choice. HB 294 is the second bill to be introduced that aims to increase the aggregate limit for student scholarship and innovative education tax credits.
Current Status: Referred to House Taxation Committee
- 3 Bills introduced
- 32 Bill hearings scheduled
- 5 Bill drafts in assembly
- 13 Bills Passed Senate Committee
- 10 Bills Passed House Committee
- 7 Bills Passed House Floor
- 6 Bills Passed Senate Floor
To track the status of all of these Red Tape Relief Bills CLICK HERE.
Key Bill Updates:
HB 21: House Education and Cultural Resources Committee hearing held.
HB 101: Passed House floor vote. Transmitted to the Senate.
SB 101: Passed Senate floor vote. Transmitted to the House.
SB 112: Passed Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee vote.