Montana
Montana Senate votes down bill to narrow eligibility for Medicaid expansion
HELENA — As the Montana Legislature continued its second day of marathon debates ahead of Friday’s transmittal deadline, the state Senate voted one more time on Medicaid expansion.
(Watch the video to see more from Thursday’s debate on Medicaid expansion.)
Montana Seante debates Medicaid Expansion
House Bill 245 – the main bill to renew Medicaid expansion in the state – passed the Legislature last week. However, Senate President Sen. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, said it was worth having one more discussion about how the program should be structured.
“Whether it’s this bill, this program, a lot of things that we do here at government, we need to stop and take a look at what’s the end goal,” he said Thursday.
Senators narrowly rejected Regier’s Senate Bill 334, on a 24-26 vote.
Regier argued his bill was “stackable” with the existing program, not in competition with it – but it would make significant changes. SB 334 would have required the state to ask for and receive a waiver from the federal government and implement “community engagement” requirements in order to offer Medicaid expansion. The current state law calls for community engagement – requiring those on Medicaid expansion to spend 80 hours a month on work, education, workforce training, volunteering or other approved activities – but federal authorities haven’t yet allowed the state to implement those requirements.
SB 334 also would have lowered the maximum income level to be eligible for Medicaid expansion, from 138% of the federal poverty level to 100%. Regier said that would mean about 14,000 people currently on the program would no longer be eligible, but he argued those people now have other options for health coverage, including getting insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
“Are we going to judge a program on how many people we can put on it, or judge a welfare safety net program as its success of not needing it anymore – how many people can be off of it and be self-sufficient to where we don’t even need that program anymore?” Regier asked. “To me, that is more of a definition of success.”
However, opponents of SB 334 said lawmakers had already weighed in on the Medicaid expansion program – by passing HB 245, which essentially continued it as it is currently. They said the bill would undermine a system that’s already working.
“This bill coming now is a fix that we really don’t need,” said Sen. Russ Tempel, R-Chester.
“What we are essentially doing is we are taking people who are working hard – they’re hard-working Montanans in our small businesses, in all of our communities who are trying to make things work – and we’re making it harder for them,” said Sen. Emma Kerr-Carpenter, D-Billings.
The Senate passed HB 245 30-20 on a final vote last Thursday. Earlier this session, senators also voted down Senate Bill 62, which would have begun phasing out the Medicaid expansion program.
HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s 2026 primary election ballot is taking shape after a busy candidate filing period that drew hundreds of hopefuls.
Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and the Montana election team finalized the list of candidates after 380 total candidates filed between Feb. 17 and March 4. Of those candidates, 19 withdrew from their races.
Six independent candidates are still waiting to qualify via petition before being added to the general election ballot.
The following was sent out by the Office of the Montana Secretary of State:
Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and the Montana Election Team have completed ballot certification for Montana’s 2026 Primary Election, finalizing the list of candidates who will appear before voters on Tuesday, June 2.
Pursuant to Montana law, county election administrators certify local candidates for the primary ballot in their respective counties, while the Secretary of State’s Office certifies the names and designations of statewide and state district candidates, including candidates for federal, legislative, and certain judicial offices.
The Montana Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) notified the Secretary of State’s Office and the county election administrators of any candidate(s) whose name(s) may not appear on the ballot pursuant to Montana law.
“The ballot certification process is a key step in ensuring Montana’s elections are accurate, secure, and transparent,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “I’m grateful to our state election officials and the county election administrators and their teams across the state for their hard work preparing for the 2026 Primary Election.”
A total of 380 candidates filed with the Secretary of State’s Office during the candidate filing period (Tuesday, February 17 – Wednesday, March 4). Several candidates withdrew from their respective races, while Independent candidates are pending petition requirements to qualify for the general election ballot.
Filings with the Secretary of State’s Office included:
- United States Senator: Twelve total candidates filed for the office, though one withdrew and one is pending petition requirements. Five Democrats, three Republicans, and two Libertarians will appear on Montanans’ Primary Election ballots. One Independent candidate must meet Montana’s petition requirements.
- United States Representative: Sixteen total filings in the 1st and 2nd Congressional races.
- 1st Congressional (MT-01) Ten candidates submitted paperwork for the Congressional seat – four Democrats, four Republicans, and one Libertarian. One Independent candidate must meet petition requirements. The incumbent did not file for re-election.
- 2nd Congressional (MT-02) Six candidates submitted filing paperwork, including the incumbent, who is the lone Republican to file for the race. Three Democrats and one Libertarian filed, while one Independent also submitted their paperwork for the race and is pending petition requirements.
- Public Service Commission: Seven candidates will appear on the ballot for the two PSC seats.
- PSC District 1: Two Republicans and one Democrat will appear before voters for the open seat.
- PSC District 5: The incumbent is one of three Republicans to file for the seat, while one Democrat also filed.
- Supreme Court Justice: Two candidates filed for the Supreme Court Justice No. 4 race – Judge Dan Wilson was the first to file for Montana’s high court, and Judge Amy Eddy followed suit later the same day.
- District Court Judge: Thirteen candidates submitted filings, including several judges currently on the bench.
- Legislature: The majority of candidate filings were for Legislative seats, where 329 total filings were submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office, nearly 130 of which came on the opening day.
- Montana State Senate: Sixty-six candidates qualified for the 2026 Primary Election, including more than 10 incumbents.
- Montana State House: A total of 235 candidates qualified for the 2026 Primary Election. Three Independent candidates are pending petition requirements. Dozens of incumbents filed for re-election.
For more information, visit the candidate filing page on the Secretary of State’s website at https://sosmt.gov/elections/filing/.
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