Montana
Montana Republican's bill would charge parents of trans kids with child abuse
For the fifth time in three years, Montana State Senator John Fuller has introduced legislation targeting transgender youth. The State Supreme Court overturned a similar law sponsored by Fuller in 2023; its renewed form may indicate the GOP’s plans for reconstructing Montana’s judiciary branch in favor of conservatism.Other prior iterations of the bill simply failed to pass. Now, he’s got his eyes set on a new target: parents of transgender kids.
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Introduced on Wednesday, January 22, Senate Bill 164 would criminalize gender-affirming care—such as surgeries, puberty blockers, and hormone replacement therapy—for trans patients younger than 16 years old under child abuse statutes.
“Every major medical association in America endorses the provision of this type of care,” the ACLU of Montana’s executive director Akilah Deernose said. “This bill would mandate government overreach into private decisions that should remain between families and their treating care physician.”
Fuller, the bill’s sponsor, has a lengthy track record of trying—and failing—to enact anti-trans laws. In 2021, as a member of the Montana House, he introduced two separate bills targeting medical practitioners providing gender-affirming care for trans people, neither of which ever made it out of the legislature. He was also the architect of a ban on trans women in sports (trans men were not mentioned) that the Montana Supreme Court in part overturned in 2022.
Fuller’s 2023 version of the youth health care bill passed in the state’s House and Senate. Republican Governor Greg Gianforte signed it into law, only for state courts to deem this, too, “unconstitutional”—citing Montanans’ right to privacy.
This time, instead of a flat-out ban, Fuller’s bill reclassifies medical treatments for trans young people under Montana child abuse statutes. It specifically targets treatments “altering the appearance” of a child that seek to “affirm[. . .] the child’s perception of the child’s sex when the appearance or perception is inconsistent with the child’s biological sex.” It would fall under Montana child abuse statutes.
If the bill becomes law, Montana would be the first state in the country to explicitly criminalize parents simply for allowing a child access to gender-affirming procedures and hormone therapy.
Half of all states have already passed legal restrictions on health care for trans youth. The Oklahoma state legislature considered, but ultimately did not pass, a similar bill criminalizing parents of trans kids in 2021. Texas Governor Greg Abbott also issued a directive requiring state social services to investigate parents who let their trans children access gender-affirming treatments — however, like that of many states targeting this kind of care, the policy was blocked by the courts for violating the constitutional rights of trans people and their families.
Unlike Montana Senate Bill 164, Texas’s directive did not outright criminalize parents who support trans kids; it required an investigation, but not necessarily punishment. The only policies that have withstood the test of the judiciary thus far have targeted health care providers and state funds rather than parents, and they hang in the balance of an ongoing SCOTUS case. If Montana’s bill is passed, it could lay the groundwork for a dangerous legal precedent.
Studies have also shown that anti-trans health laws can create a medical chilling effect, impeding health care for people of all gender identities, as doctors could restrict or deny care if they even suspect a young person is or could eventually identify as trans.
Including Fuller’s proposals, Montana faced at least 10 anti-LGBTQ bills in 2023 alone. Hundreds of anti-trans bills at the state and national levels have been introduced or gained headway since then.
Fuller’s latest attempt to implement this policy in spite of the Supreme Court’s decision is more than just political theater. In addition to attacking trans kids’ access to health care, a Fuller-led coalition of Montana Republicans has set its sights on the judiciary branch. Legislators have proposed an onslaught of bills to constrict, discredit, and declaw the courts, limiting its scope and capacity for judicial review—including several bills introduced on the same day as Senate Bill 164. One such policy would remove the court’s power to accept lawyers into the bar association and instead give the ability to the governor.
The Supreme Court of Montana is selected through nonpartisan elections, where candidates cannot run under a party banner. Fuller and his allies want to change that. Only six states currently utilize partisan judge elections. And the Center for American Progress found that “partisan elections lead to more campaign contributions and increased partisanship among judges.”
According to ACLU of Montana lobbyist Henry Seaton, the efforts could amount to a power grab by the state GOP.
“One working theory is that if they are able to pass partisan judicial races, they feel that the court system will rule these unconstitutional bills more in favor of them,” Seaton said.
These efforts may be uniquely potent in Montana, but the strategy is on par with a playbook politicians are using across the country. A report from the Brennan Center for Justice found that, in 2023, there were 124 bills in 29 states “attacking the independence of courts.” The bills covered a spectrum of legal avenues that would “inject more politics into how judges are selected,” such as by allowing “judge-shopping,” enabling legislatures to cherry-pick judges for certain cases.
A December 2024 document by Fuller addressed a myriad of partisan complaints that Republicans in the Montana legislature levied against the judiciary branch. Co-signed by over a dozen Republican state legislators, the letter alleges that “the Montana Supreme Court has a long history of hostility toward the Republican Party and conservatives.” They also allege that the bar association endorsed “implicit attacks” on Republicans when a member of a private legal practice, speaking at a bar association panel, criticized the GOP and referred to Governor Gianforte as “Governor Gianforeskin.” Neither the state bar association nor Fuller’s office provided comment in time for publishing.
Laws disempowering state judiciaries could jeopardize the supposed neutrality of the courts. Mississippi, for example, enacted a law that would have “singled out” voters in a majority-Black district by creating new, state-appointed judgeships, while voters in the rest of the state would elect their judges.
The Mississippi Supreme Court overturned that law.
This article originally appeared on Erin in the Morning.
MISSOULA — Four out of five members of Montana’s Public Service Commission were in a federal courtroom in Missoula Thursday morning, as the PSC’s former president challenges the disciplinary action taken against him earlier this year. Now, newly released documents are shedding more light on to what led up to this point.
(Watch the video for a closer look at the case.)
New documents shed light Montana PSC dispute
Commissioner Brad Molnar has sued President Jeff Welborn, Vice President Jennifer Fielder and Commissioner Annie Bukacek – the three PSC members who voted in May to require him to work remotely, after an investigation into complaints about his workplace conduct. Molnar has claimed he is being unfairly punished for constitutionally protected speech, and he asked Senior U.S District Judge Donald Molloy to allow him to return to the PSC offices.
Matthew Monforton, Molnar’s attorney, told the judge that barring Molnar from the building was limiting his ability to do his job.
“He has not been officially kicked out of office, but his voice has clearly been diminished,” said Monforton.
But Natasha Jones, an attorney representing the other three commissioners, said the findings were about behavior, not just speech, and that the PSC’s action was a reasonable response.
“These are serious concerns about a pattern of conduct that has made employees quit,” she said.
Jonathon Ambarian
On Tuesday, Molloy ordered the release of redacted versions of two full investigative reports into Molnar’s conduct – more than 100 pages of documents. Monforton had moved for the full reports to be made public, and Molloy ruled attorneys for the other PSC members hadn’t shown a compelling reason to keep the documents under seal as long as the names of people involved in the investigation were obscured.
While the names remained redacted in the investigation reports, the attorneys for Welborn, Fielder and Bukacek also filed additional documents – including a public declaration from Bukacek and from former PSC executive director Alana Lake, providing information about their allegations against Molnar.
The two reports, from an outside investigator, cover Molnar’s alleged actions over two periods: the first from February to August 2025, and the second from August to October 2025. The investigation began after the first formal complaint, filed by Bukacek in May 2025 – though the reports say employees had been bringing up concerns about Molnar’s behavior informally for several months prior.
Bukacek’s complaint claimed Molnar had repeatedly made what she called “sexualized and demeaning comments.” The examples she cited included saying the PSC should replace “Taco Tuesdays” with “Topless Tuesdays,” reminiscing about watching girls in bikinis as a teenager, and commenting about the beauty of women in areas of China who didn’t get “old and wrinkly.”
In her declaration, Bukacek also claimed Molnar had “maliciously disseminated false information” about her and “engaged in behavior that was dismissive, derisive and otherwise abusive.”
“My primary concern now is not for my safety nor my feelings, but for the rest of the staff who may not have the temperament to speak up or may feel too intimidated to speak up given concerns over job security,” Bukacek said in her declaration.
MTN News
The investigators determined Molnar had violated the PSC’s code of conduct by making comments of a sexual nature, and that it appeared his behavior had continued for some time after he was warned about it. They also found he had behaved unprofessionally and in a belittling manner toward Bukacek, though they said Bukacek herself had at times used “language that could be considered inappropriate” in emails to staff or other commissioners. Bukacek told MTN she “readily self corrected” any behaviors that were brought to her attention.
The investigation also found a violation in connection with a complaint from a PSC staff member, who said he “felt bullied” by Molnar when the commissioner sent an email complaining about his team not being “people with competence.”
However, much of the first report and the entire second report was focused on conduct after the initial complaints, when Molnar was accused of retaliating against people who participated in the investigation. Lake said in her declaration that she saw “an immediate and significant change in his behavior toward staff involved in the process.” She claimed he said he would use an attorney and private investigator to go after people who filed complaints, and she accused him of publicly criticizing her in interviews and removing her job responsibilities because of her handling of the investigation.
Lake said Molnar’s actions led to “declining morale within the agency,” undermined staff members’ ability to do their jobs and damaged her reputation. She said that led her to resign as executive director.
“I believe no employee should be forced to choose between reporting misconduct and protecting their career, reputation, or personal well-being,” she said in her declaration.
Lake has since become Helena city manager.
Jonathon Ambarian
The report said there was evidence to show Molnar had retaliated, including by “making disparaging statements about investigation participants” including Lake, by sending an email warning he could file complaints of his own against people involved, and by taking other actions investigators said could dissuade employees from reporting behavior in the future.
Monforton said during Thursday’s hearing that the initial comments Bukacek complained about were jokes Molnar had admitted were inappropriate, that he regretted saying them, and that he hasn’t made any similar comments in about a year. But he argued the vast majority of the findings against Molnar were about retaliation – and that those were primarily based on speech that the other commissioners don’t have the right to interfere with.
Monforton said it’s unreasonable to punish Molnar for what he said in the July news conference where he announced he was under investigation, in interviews with the media or in commission meetings. He said Molnar’s conduct doesn’t rise to the level of actual retaliation.
“This is an elected official, engaging in speech in his forum,” Monforton said.
He said Molnar may have made harsh comments toward staff, but that he had the right to raise objections about the way the agency does business.
Jonathon Ambarian
Monforton also argued the retaliation claims no longer justify keeping Molnar out of the office, since Welborn, Fielder and Bukacek voted to remove him as president in October and he no longer has the authority he’s accused of misusing. He said there haven’t been further complaints about his behavior since that time.
“We’re not asking for the moon and stars, we’re asking for the status quo as it existed for the last seven months,” he said.
Jones said there is enough evidence to show Molnar would have been punished regardless of whether any protected speech was excluded.
“This is not about a couple of jokes,” she said.
Jones said Molnar made maliciously false statements about people like Lake, and that type of statement isn’t covered by free speech protections.
She also said Molnar’s exclusion from the PSC offices is temporary, and that the PSC will reconsider whether to let him return if he apologizes for his actions, accepts the agency’s code of conduct and undergoes training.
Molloy indicated he saw indications that there was “acrimony” on both sides of the situation, and said he was skeptical it would be resolved easily.
“It would be nice if instead of juvenile behavior, there was professional behavior,” he said.
However, the judge said there was an avenue for Molnar to pursue if he wanted to reach a resolution.
Molloy took no immediate action Thursday. He told the parties he would rule as quickly as he could.
Carrie Gilbertson has been executive director of Cancer Support Community Montana for just under two months, stepping into the role in April with more than 15 years of nonprofit experience and a lifetime of Montana roots.
The organization provides psychosocial and mental health support to anyone affected by cancer — not just those with a diagnosis, but also family members and others walking alongside them.
WATCH: Meet the new leader of Cancer Support Community Montana 🎗️
Cancer Support Community Montana names new executive director
“This mission of providing psycho-social supports and mental health supports for anyone impacted by cancer, not just that person who has the diagnosis, but also family members, anyone who is walking alongside someone as they experience that often scary diagnosis, that’s just something that’s important to me,” Gilbertson said.
Gilbertson’s role extends beyond the Bozeman office. Cancer Support Community Montana’s Missoula location is already up and running, and a Helena location is expected to be operating soon. Each presents its own set of challenges.
“Each hospital is different. They might have different resources. Their social workers might be connecting to things in a different way. So understanding what those hospitals need, what different participants need in each community, is going to be different just because the communities are different, resources are different,” Gilbertson said.
The Bozeman office has been operating for more than 20 years, providing a foundation that supports the organization’s broader statewide efforts.
“I think this is a crew that looks at what does this community need what do our participants need what are some of the changing landscapes in cancer care what things are the gaps that we see that we can maybe just jump right in and you know let’s see if we can provide that for people so that’s something I really love about this crew that I work with and just this mission that there is some flexibility in being able to adjust and adapt as we learn more,” Gilbertson said.
Those adaptations show up in unexpected ways. The organization converts its parking lot into a pickleball court every Friday morning.
“I didn’t know there was a pickleball court. I pulled in actually with my daughter pulled in and she was is that pickleball court and I was like oh, it kind of looks like it is so yeah that’s fun, every Friday morning we clear out the parking lot and put up the net and I haven’t played yet I’ve been watching just to kind of see how that game works but they take it pretty seriously,” Gilbertson said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 17, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 17 drawing
03-26-49-53-61, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 17 drawing
11-16-18-33-51, Star Ball: 09, ASB: 05
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 17 drawing
01-16-17-27, Bonus: 01
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from June 17 drawing
13-22-35-36-39
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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