Legislature

The Montana Caregiver Act, sponsored by Rep. Geraldine Custer, R-Forsyth, gives family caregivers the tools they need to help their loved ones go into the hospital, and as they transition home.

Seven bills addressing special ed funding have been introduced by three different legislators this session. All but two of them have been tabled or killed.

Here's a look at the Montana Legislature's progress last week, featuring debates on everything from seeds to establishment of a child abuse committee to creation of a bed tax to fund the war on weeds.

The Montana House Appropriations Committee is nearly done ironing out amendments to House Bill 2, or the main budget bill. Rep. Marilyn Ryan, D-Missoula, proposed one of those amendments Friday. That amendment to the Department of Health and Human Services budget would have increased wages for those who work directly with seniors and people with developmental disabilities.

Retirement facility employees in Montana could hypothetically record videos and photos of patients and post them to social media sites under current state law. House Bill 244 would change that, making it a felony to record seniors, or people with developmental disabilities, in uncompromising situations in any setting.

Democratic Governor Steve Bullock says the No. 1 concern he has with the Legislature’s proposed budget is the lack of funding for essential services. “That’s everything from senior and long-term care, to how they’re funding higher education, to what had been done with child protective services,” he said.

When schools overestimate the number of students in their district, Montana property taxpayers end up eating that cost. House Bill 390, carried by Rep. Donald Jones, R-Billings, would return the excess money collected back to taxpayers the following year.

Montana Health and Human Services Director Sheila Hogan cautioned lawmakers Wednesday about what decreasing funding to her department might mean for Montanans. “The budget will dramatically impair the services we provide to seniors, and those with disabilities in Montana, and compromise our ability to serve Montana’s most vulnerable community members,” she told members of the House Appropriations Committee during a hearing on House Bill 2, the main budget bill.

A bill to include modern-day bed-and-breakfasts in the state’s collection of bed taxes has passed the Montana Senate and will now make its way to the House Taxation Committee Thursday.

Halfway through the 65th Montana Legislature, the House Budget Committee has started work on the biennial state budget, the only duty that lawmakers are constitutionally required to finish before the session comes to an end.