This bill expands Montana's Best Beginnings scholarship program to provide direct financial aid to child-care workers employed at licensed day-care centers or registered family/group day-care homes. It removes standard income eligibility requirements for these workers (previously only applied to families) and allocates $5.5 million annually from the general fund starting July 2025 to fund these scholarships. The program now specifically supports child-care workers through this new funding stream, separate from the existing family-focused scholarship component.
HB 339 would change Montana's school funding formula to provide 6th graders in accredited middle schools with the same per-pupil funding rate as 7th and 8th graders - currently, 6th graders receive lower elementary school funding. The bill amends Montana Code Sections 20-9-306 and 20-9-311 to eliminate this disparity, directly affecting school districts operating middle schools with 6th graders. It aims to align funding with accreditation standards, enabling middle schools to offer expanded programs like career and technical education. The policy change would adjust state education funding calculations for these districts without altering school structures.
HB 320 establishes Montana's Academic Prosperity Program for Scholars (MAPPS) to offer educational options for eligible students aged 5-19. The program provides state income tax credits to individuals and corporations who donate to educational assistance accounts for participating students, and also to parents for their qualified education expenses. A program manager oversees these funds and their distribution for educational assistance, with guidance from a new MAPPS council. Students participating in MAPPS are exempt from public school compulsory enrollment requirements.
HB 385 proposed establishing the School Mental Health Promotion Pilot Program, administered by the Office of Public Instruction. This program would have provided grants to Montana school districts to implement innovative, student-led, and locally determined initiatives aimed at improving student mental health. Districts applying for grants would have needed to demonstrate specific needs, broad community support in their application development, and plans for mental health promotion activities and program evaluation. The bill proposed annual grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 for a two-year period, with $250,000 appropriated annually from the general fund. The program was set to terminate on June 30, 2029.
HB 405 proposed to increase the maximum reimbursement rates that school districts receive from state and county sources for student transportation. The bill specifically raised the per-mile rates for school buses of different passenger capacities, as well as for non-bus mileage. The intent was to lower school district property taxes designated for transportation expenses. These changes would have applied to school district transportation budgets starting July 1, 2025.
HB 457 aimed to modify the Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship Program. It proposed changing the family income eligibility requirement from a minimum of 185% of the federal poverty level to 85% of the state median income for each family size. Additionally, the bill sought to appropriate $17 million annually from the general fund to the Department of Public Health and Human Services for the program for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025.
The provided bill text, identified as Senate Bill 382, focuses on revising laws related to immunization exemptions, which differs from the title "Establish the specie legal tender act" for HB 382.
Based on the provided text, this bill mandates that various entities, including state agencies, schools, child care facilities, and licensed health care providers, must accept religious or informed consent exemptions for required immunizations, injections, or medications for employment or attendance. It establishes that denying such an exemption is an unlawful discriminatory practice. Non-compliant entities could face a loss of state funding, and individuals denied an exemption may file complaints and seek compensatory damages. The bill also clarifies and strengthens the existing provisions for religious, medical, and informed consent exemptions for school attendance.
HB 168 revises state school funding laws to include 3- and 4-year-old children with disabilities in a school district's annual number belonging (ANB) calculations. This change enables school districts to receive state financial support for providing special education services to these preschool-aged children. Previously, these children were not included in ANB counts, meaning there was no state funding mechanism for their education, despite districts being obligated to provide these services. The bill amends Section 20-9-311, MCA, to allow their inclusion based on aggregate hours of pupil instruction.
HB 462 aimed to enhance academic excellence by revising education laws related to curriculum and instruction. It would have established a process for the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in collaboration with a committee and an external nonprofit partner, to identify and recommend high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) during content standard revisions. Contingent on legislative funding, the bill would have provided reduced-cost access to these recommended HQIM and aligned professional development for school districts choosing to adopt them. This initiative sought to support teachers and improve curriculum for students across the state.
HB 252, known as the STARS Act, revises state school funding laws to support students and school staff. It enhances the school funding formula by offering incentives to increase teacher base salaries and encourage resource sharing among school districts. The bill also provides increased budget authority for districts with high housing costs and restores full funding to the Advanced Opportunities program. Additionally, it establishes a new "Future Ready" funding component for K-12 schools focused on postgraduation preparation and includes certain district clerks and staff with emergency authorizations in educator funding.
