Viewpoint: More Democrats means more wins for everyday Montanans

Rep. Katie Sullivan

For the past four months, I’ve had the honor of serving as the Democratic Leader of 42 Democratic Representatives in the state Legislature. We’ve had some big wins, tough challenges, and opportunities to lay the groundwork for a more affordable Montana.

Faster than any session before, we passed legislation to renew our Medicaid program, and protect healthcare for tens of thousands of Montanans. House Bill 245 passed with bipartisan support, but without all forty-two Democrats voting “yes,” that bill would have failed. Now law, the Medicaid renewal bill will protect our rural health care centers, nursing homes, and hospitals, and ensure working families can continue to access health care.

Democrats were proud to stand with our neighbors across the state to achieve this. Democrats heard frequently from our constituents that the GOP’s rising property taxes have wreaked havoc on their livelihoods. The band-aid rebates that Republicans okayed in 2023 were a gimmick that failed to make a real dent in rising costs.

Unfortunately, Republicans again spent much of our limited time this session on nonsense, highly partisan, conspiracy theory-driven bills. More divisive politics and more control over our lives is what Republicans dedicated the majority of their time to, not making life affordable. At the 11th hour, thanks to the tireless work of Democratic lawmakers, we were able to deliver property tax relief.

Senate Bill 542 and House Bill 231 together are a bipartisan package that will reduce property tax rates for primary homes and long-term rentals, with an initial first-year rebate of $400 for all property owners. Unfortunately, this relief package is not perfect. It requires an application, which could leave tens of thousands of Montanans out in the cold. It also relies on the goodwill of landlords to pass this relief onto renters, who make up a third of our state’s population.

Over the next 18 months, Democrats will be holding the Governor accountable to make sure everyone who qualifies for property tax relief gets money back in their pocket. Even though renters weren’t directly addressed in the property tax package, Democrats successfully passed a bill (HB 311) to make renting cheaper by requiring landlords to refund hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in unused rental application fees.

We also pushed through real support for students, families, and teachers with bills that feed hungry kids (HB 551), recruit Native and rural educators from their local communities (HB 499), and keep good teachers in the classroom (HB 340). Now it’s up to the Governor to sign these bills.

Rep. Katie Sullivan is the Montana House Minority Leader