Montana

Sex-segregated bathroom bill clears key House vote

Published

11 months ago

January 15, 2025

Sex-segregated bathroom bill clears key House vote

House lawmakers in the Montana Legislature on Wednesday preliminarily approved a bill that requires bathroom and sleeping-area use based on a person’s chromosomes and reproductive biology.

In a party-line vote, 58 legislators in the Republican-majority chamber affirmed House Bill 121 over 42 opponents. The bill requires one more vote to advance to the Senate.

Critics have cast the measure as an unenforceable restriction on transgender people and those whose appearance doesn’t clearly match stereotypical gender presentations.

Supporters, including sponsor Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, R-Billings, have mostly sidestepped the mention of trans people when talking about the bill’s impact, arguing that it will generally help protect women from men who enter restrooms and dormitories with a predatory intent.

“This bill is not about discrimination. It’s about protecting those things that have been eroding these last few years for women,” Seekins-Crowe said. “All this bill is asking for is reasonable accommodations.”

HB 121 would require public facilities, such as schools and prisons, and some private facilities, including domestic violence shelters, to provide multi-user restrooms and dormitories for the “exclusive use” of males and females. The bill’s definitions of sex are based on a person’s XX or XY chromosomes and their production of eggs or sperm.

Another provision in the bill would also allow any individual who “encounters another individual of the opposite sex in the restroom or changing room” to sue the offending facility or organization within two years of the event. The bill would go into effect immediately upon being signed into law.

Opponents raised a slew of concerns about enforceability during the bill’s first committee hearing in early January, including how a facility with multi-user restrooms, changing rooms or dorms can confirm a person’s chromosomal or reproductive makeup. Critics also flagged the potential costs for local municipalities and how the right to legal action could encourage vigilante enforcement of sex-segregated public bathroom use.

The bill passed the House Judiciary Committee in a party-line vote on Monday, with Democrats raising similar concerns voiced by the legislation’s opponents.

Members of the minority party again sought to convince Republican lawmakers of the measure’s impact during the Wednesday floor debate.

“‘This is not an issue,’ is what was said again and again by the people impacted on the ground,” said Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, who sits on the House committee. Rather than making cisgender women feel more safe, Zephyr posed that the proposal would only interfere with the daily routines of trans people. “To me, trans people walk through the state of Montana afraid enough already. And we want to be able to live our lives in peace,” she said.

Some Republicans who occasionally vote with Democrats on other issues, including Rep. David Bedey, R-Hamilton, and Rep. Brad Barker, R-Roberts, said they shared concerns about the bill’s enforceability and cost for cities and towns. But both lawmakers voted to move the measure forward, suggesting that some of those issues could be resolved through amendments in the Montana Senate.

Other supporters described the bill as a necessary step to secure public places against bad actors who pose as trans to gain access to vulnerable places.

“Because of the destruction of societal customs, any predator or person with malicious intent can more easily invade private female spaces without calling attention to themselves,” said Rep. Fiona Nave, R-Columbus.

Opponents said such circumstances are based more on fear than reality, and that similar bills in other states have often opened the door to harassment toward people who appear to be transgender, regardless of their actions.

Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday also said the bill oversteps the Legislature’s role by policing people’s presence rather than their actions. Any criminal conduct in the affected spaces, including harassment and assault, is already illegal, said Rep. SJ Howell, R-Missoula.

“It is appropriate for us as a body to legislate harmful behavior. It is not appropriate to legislate people existing,” Howell said. “Montana values are simple. Love thy neighbor. Mind thy business. This bill does neither.”

At least 11 other states have passed similar bills in recent years, a legislative trend encouraged by national conservative groups. One of those groups is the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has testified in support of HB 121.

Lobbyists and lawmakers watching HB 121’s progress predict another robust committee hearing in the Senate. The bill’s first hearing stretched more than three hours, drawing testimony from almost 20 proponents and nearly 30 opponents before committee members launched into questions.

One of the lines of inquiry included the bill’s fiscal impact. A document produced by legislative staff and executive branch committees lists the known costs as zero dollars but acknowledges “potential costs associated with staffing increases, renovations of state facilities, and increased legal exposure.”

While the fiscal note says that specific costs to state agencies are “unknown” or “not currently estimable,” it forecasts that fiscal impact to local school districts could be “significant.”

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The Montana Legislature can be a daunting institution to keep tabs on. As the 2025 legislative session gears up, MTFP is producing a series of video and text pieces intended to help our readers track their lawmakers and make sense of the headlines they’ll see in the months to come. Today: a look legislative committees.

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Related Topics:Featured Kerri Seekins-Crowe Legislature 2025

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Montana

Is Montana’s Budget on Fire? – Flathead Beacon

Published

11 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a libertarian special interest group, would have you think so. And it is sending out postcards and online ads claiming that Republicans who worked with Governor Greg Gianforte to produce a balanced budget are “pouring gasoline on the fire.”

The problem is that the “accountability information” AFP is peddling is false.

Did the state budget “explode” by $16.5 billion? NO! That number is the two-year appropriation in the General Appropriations Act (HB 2). It is not how much the budget increased. The actual increase in the total state budget was $142 million over two years—a tiny fraction of the amount claimed by AFP—according to the official budget comparison as calculated per state law (17-7-151, MCA) and validated by analysts at the legislature’s nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Division. Was there a 13.5% increase in state spending? NO! AFP’s number comes from considering only part of the state budget. The total state budget grew by only 0.7%, according to the official budget comparison cited above.

Did the budget grow at “2x the rate of inflation and 7x the pace of population growth”? NO! Budget growth was 0.7%—obviously much less than what AFP claims.

Is Montana running “massive deficits”? NO! he state constitution requires a balanced budget, and the budget we passed is balanced. Montana does not engage in deficit spending. Furthermore, Montana is the only bond debt-free state in the nation because of legislative actions taken over the past two sessions.

Was this the “biggest budget in Montana’s history”? Yes. But that could be said about any year in at least the recent past (I looked back 10 years). Why is that? A big reason is that inflation drives up the cost of providing the services that most Montanans expect, e.g., law enforcement, a corrections system, mental health and drug treatment, an education system, and management of our public lands, to name only a few. Good government is about providing those services as cost effectively as possible. Governor Gianforte and his allies in the legislature have been doing just that.

Americans for Prosperity might be forgiven if they simply misunderstood a thing or two about state finance. But AFP got so much wrong that one can only conclude that it willfully distorted the truth in order to mislead Montana citizens. Where I come from in Montana that’s called lying.

David Bedey is a Republican state Representative from Hamilton.

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Montana

Showdown Montana offers discounts in exchange for canned food donations

Published

1 day ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Showdown Montana offers discounts in exchange for canned food donations

As ski season approaches and temps drop, Showdown Montana is once again turning the opening month into a chance to help the community while saving big.

Skiers can reduce the cost of a $70 lift ticket to $20 merely by contributing canned goods.

Katie Boedecker, President and General Manager of Showdown Montana, stated that the endeavor represents the company’s long-standing commitment to supporting local families.

Quentin Shores reports – watch the video:

Showdown Montana offers discounts in exchange for canned food donations

“It’s just a hard time of year for families and for people that need help. And we want to do everything we can to support this,” she explained. “We’ve been doing a food drive for at least 35 years up here.”

This year, the program is expanding. Rather than transporting donations up the mountain, visitors can now drop off 20 canned food items at participating food banks in Great Falls, Helena, Billings, Bozeman, and White Sulphur Springs.

In exchange, they will receive a certificate for a $20 lift ticket valid on any operational day in December.

“If you bring 20 cans of food to those food banks, you will get a voucher for a $20 lift ticket,” explained Avery Patrick, Showdown’s vice president and marketing director.

The new system also reduces the pressure on food banks. In earlier years, personnel had to drive trucks up the mountain to collect donations, which was a logistical nightmare during the winter. Donors can now go directly to the source.

Shaun Tatarka of the Great Falls Community Food Bank explained that bringing food to the food bank will result in a lift ticket. “There’s a limit of only ten per person.”

Donors may exchange up to 120 cans for reduced tickets while supplies last. The food bank is especially in need of cereal, canned chili, soups, and canned fruit, which help households get through the colder months.

“People really enjoy giving at this time of year,” Tatarka said. “We really rely on November and December for about 50 to 60% of our income and donations.”

Showdown plans to start on December 5, but vouchers can already be picked up during regular food bank hours.

Showdown Montana’s official opening date is December 12, though they may open on December 5 depending on conditions.

Showdown is about 65 miles southeast of Great Falls; click here to visit the website.

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Montana

Montana Lottery Lucky For Life, Big Sky Bonus results for Nov. 27, 2025

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 27, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

08-12-13-16-45, Lucky Ball: 13

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

05-14-15-21, Bonus: 15

Check Big Sky Bonus 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.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

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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