Montana Legislature gavels out 69th session

Micah Drew, Jordan Hansen and Keila Szpaller

(Daily Montanan) The 69th Montana Legislature adjourned the 2025 session on Wednesday – the 85th day of the session – after finishing up work on a property tax relief package and a litany of speeches by outgoing lawmakers.

The final day was relatively subdued, as both chambers took final votes and waited for the pomp and circumstance that accompanies sine die — the motion to adjourn — which included a chamber-wide rendition of “God Bless America” on the Senate side led by Sen. Denley Loge, a St. Regis Republican.

Legislators offered advice for those who will take the torch in the future, along with pleas for the current Montana Legislature continue, because it had come up short on the budget and property taxes, according to some frustrated Republicans.

Sen. Butch Gillespie, R-Ethridge, said the diversity of views in the Senate is positive, and he encouraged the body to work together in the future.

“For sure, we don’t accomplish much by constant turf wars,” Gillespie said. “Think about that one a second.”

However, when the motion to end was made in the upper chamber, the Senate voted it down not once, but twice, before eventually gaveling out — one final display of the tensions that defined the session in the upper chamber.

Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, stood to oppose adjournment, calling the session, and the largest bills passed by the Legislature, failures.

“Five days early? We’re going to quit because we’re done? I don’t think we’ve even showed up,” Zolnikov said.

More conservative Republicans in the chamber were frustrated to see their majority split and felt cut out of the conversation around major legislative initiatives, including the budget which many decried as bloated.

“This is supposed to be a decentralized process. Fifty people from 50 different areas, each representing 20,000 people each, so everyone in this state has a voice, through us,” Zolnikov continued. “And we gave that away.”

The 2025 session saw 1,759 bills, resolutions and other measures introduced and debated by lawmakers — a record number. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Legislature had sent 484 to the desk of Gov. Greg Gianforte, with another 322 on their way.

The laws would be celebrated, derided, and some will likely be fought in court in the future, and in the Senate, Sen. John Esp, R-Big Timber, offered a nod to the ups and downs.

“There are days in this building that you’re going to want to cry,” Esp said. “And there’s days in this building that you’ll be moved to laughter. Sometimes you get to do a little of each on the same day.”

Among the major pieces of legislation that passed the Legislature was Medicaid expansion, the largest income tax cut in state history, historic investments in education, and a property tax relief package.

There were also several bills that affect transgender individuals, characterized as erasing and harming them by opponents, including one that has already landed in court. Other lawmakers lauded the same legislation as protecting children and women. Legislators also passed a series of bills changing the Montana Environmental Policy Act in response to the Held v. Montana suit, a historic lawsuit concerning the effects of climate change.

But one of the defining features of the 2025 session was a rift in the Republican Caucus in the Senate that appeared 85 days ago when nine moderate Republicans joined Democrats to change the rules of the Senate to give their coalition more power.

For the rest of the session, the Senate was effectively run by a working majority coalition that pushed through priority bills for Democrats and the Governor’s office, to the frustration of more conservative GOP members. Numerous times throughout the session, the Senate chamber erupted with accusations of betrayal between Republican camps and “baked in” votes that routinely passed 27-23 along the coalition line.

Another defining moment was the censure of a sitting Senator, former Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, who was kicked out of the chamber halfway through the session. The punishment, described as “everything but expulsion,” was a response to ethical violations Ellsworth committed by not disclosing a friendship he had when he signed a $170,100 state contract with a longtime business associate.

Despite the roller coaster of events throughout the session, Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, said in a press conference following adjournment that he was still satisfied with the work his caucus accomplished.

“There are many reasons for Senate Republicans to hold their heads high,” Regier said. “And we will look forward to continuing our efforts in the interim, and also in the next session.”

The GOP senators touted many of their wins from the session, including delivering a large income tax cut, bolstering election integrity, and leading the nation with new data privacy legislation.

“We’re not just protecting Montanas amid technological advancements, but also making sure that our state is open to cutting-edge innovations,” Senate Pro Tempore Ken Bogner, R-Miles City said.

One area the Senate GOP said they fell short on was judicial reform — a key priority for the caucus at the start of the session.

More than two dozen bills were introduced aimed at changing the judicial branch, but only a handful made it through the Legislature. Among those that failed were numerous attempts to make judicial elections partisan.

“What we do have is a great foundation for the reform. I think that judicial reform is critical, continuously,” said Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, adding that efforts would continue in the next session. “We’re undaunted.”

Despite a long list of bills he considered wins, Regier stood with less than two dozen members of his caucus and called out the missing members of his party.

“I do believe the voters sent the Republican Party here to be in control, and from day one, it was not, and I don’t see that as sustainable. I think that in the future, the voters are going to speak their mind,” Regier said. “… I don’t believe the people will stand up for another session where the Democrat minority leader and his caucus controls the Senate.”

Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, said the session was one of the hardest he’s been a part of, but also one of the most effective — with Democrats pushing through substantially more legislation than anticipated.

In a joint press conference with House Minority Leader Rep. Katie Sullivan, D-Missoula, Flowers touted legislation protecting renters, and said every Democrat vote for Medicaid expansion was “critical,” painting it as a major win for the party.

“We didn’t just protect the program,” Flowers said. “We secured it permanently.”

Sullivan added that while the session wasn’t perfect, Montanans came out in a better place than they were before the session.

“This session, Montana Democrats stood firm in defending our fundamental freedoms under the Montana constitution and our Montana way of life,” Sullivan said. “When Republicans spent dozens and dozens of hours pushing bills to legislate every aspect of our lives, Democrats fought back.”

The Democrat leaders also highlighted legislation addressing the state’s affordable housing crisis that saw bipartisan support.

“It’s not fixed,” Flowers said. “But for the first time in a long time, we’re moving in the right direction for practical solutions and real funding.”

While bills pushed by the minority party could be at a higher risk of receiving a veto from the Republican governor, Flowers said he was confident many showcase shared priorities.

“I think, frankly, many of our bills are consistent with the values that he described in his State of the State address, where he focused on child care and education,” Flowers said. “And I think he should appreciate what we’re bringing to his desk.”

Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle mentioned the possibility of the Legislature returning for a special session, most likely related to potential cuts from the federal government that could affect the state’s budget.

The Legislature’s lower chamber was comparatively calm, a testament to the steady, if unassuming, leadership of House Speaker Brandon Ler, R-Savage.

“When I gave my welcome speech, I said, I hope this body would rise above, would keep everything civil and that we would treat each other with respect, and the Montana way of hard work, honesty and neighborliness would guide our deliberations,” Ler told his colleagues on the House floor. “I believe we lived up to that.”
While some hardline Republicans felt cut out of the legislative process — and in the House, Speaker Ler said his door was open — he said the reality is bills need majorities in the chambers to pass, and then support from the governor.

Speaker Pro Tempore Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, said it’s a delicate balance to work on legislation that can, realistically, get across the finish line, and also ensure input.

Property tax relief was one measure that passed with substantial bipartisan support in the House, but some legislators expressed their displeasure about it, including that it could land in court.

Critics of the property tax reform said the content didn’t match the title of the bill, which could be unconstitutional, but supporters dismissed the accusation.

At least in the House, Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick said he would anticipate legal action following the session, given it hasn’t been unusual for bills to be challenged.

“I would assume there will be a lawsuit, since it’s lawsuit season now,” Fitzpatrick said.

However, he said legislators worked hard on property taxes from the start, through the very end of the session, and the package that passed reflects the areas of agreement.

“It was difficult. I think the product we finally got is just a reflection of the realities that compromise around here requires,” Fitzpatrick said.

The final hours on the House floor were joyous, and legislators animately said their goodbyes, took photos together and laughed as they cleared out their desks. They were slow to leave the chamber, and some representatives took in the moment.

“I’ll carry this experience with me forever, every debate, every challenge and every late night and every handshake across the aisle,” Ler said shortly before the session ended. “Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for believing in this institution. Thank you for meeting and for loving Montana enough to serve her.”

In the Senate, a flurry of votes in the final minutes offered a final glimpse of division in the chamber.

Twice, Flowers sought to reconsider one last bill — an increased fee on luxury vehicles registered in the state — which one Senator said he had voted against at least a half dozen times already.

Substitute motions to adjourn failed, the motion to reconsider the bill failed twice, but eventually the chamber reached consensus before boiling over.

Before leaving the chamber, 23 Republican senators — minus “the nine” — gathered around the rostrum for a group photo.

On the floor, the remaining lawmakers, a working majority, mingled, cleared their desks, and moved on.