HB 50 protects parents and pregnant women with drug use disorder by preventing child welfare investigations or custody actions solely based on positive drug test results. It amends Montana law to shield individuals seeking treatment or prenatal care from criminal charges related to drug use, and prohibits using drug test results alone to initiate child abuse cases or remove children from homes. The bill directly affects pregnant women, parents, healthcare providers, and child welfare systems by ensuring medical care access isn't penalized. Key provisions include immunity for seeking overdose help and requiring medical evaluation as the primary factor in child welfare decisions.
HB 912 proposes creating a new secure forensic facility in Montana, overseen by the Department of Public Health and Human Services. This facility would provide care, treatment, and security for up to 70 individuals involved in the legal system due to mental illness, including those needing competency restoration or forensic evaluations. The bill allocates $60 million from the Behavioral Health System for Future Generations Fund to plan, construct, and equip this facility, while also expanding the fund's uses to support new behavioral health infrastructure.
HB 494 proposes to revise how Montana allocates its yearly tobacco settlement proceeds, effective July 1, 2025. This bill would change the distribution percentages between two state special revenue accounts. Currently, 32% of the proceeds fund statewide tobacco disease prevention programs, and 17% goes to the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). HB 494 would reverse these allocations, directing 17% to tobacco prevention and 32% to CHIP to secure federal matching funds.
HB 750, titled "Provide for annual increase of Medicaid provider reimbursement rates," proposes to annually increase the reimbursement rates for services covered by the Montana Medicaid program. This bill directly affects healthcare providers who offer services to Medicaid recipients in Montana. It mandates that the department responsible for Medicaid annually increase these reimbursement rates by a minimum of 2%.
HB 884 sought to establish the Montana Behavioral Health Trust Fund and an oversight board to support behavioral health services statewide. It would have created a permanent endowment, with only the interest generated from it being transferred quarterly into a special revenue account. This account would fund grants for various eligible purposes, including mental health programs in public schools, expanding crisis care services, and providing support for individuals experiencing homelessness. A newly formed seven-member board would have been responsible for administering the fund, determining grant priorities, and monitoring the effectiveness of funded services.
HB 237 would prohibit the placement of certain sentenced defendants in the state forensic mental health facility at Galen. The bill amends existing law to specify that individuals found to have a mental disease, disorder, or developmental disability at the time of their offense, and who are committed for treatment, cannot be placed at the Galen facility. Instead, these defendants could be placed in other appropriate correctional, mental health, residential, or developmental disabilities facilities for their custody, care, and treatment. The director of the department would retain the authority to transfer individuals between these alternative facilities.
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 737, titled "Generally revise suicide prevention laws," establishes a voluntary do-not-sell list to aid in suicide prevention for Montana citizens. This bill allows individuals to voluntarily waive their firearm rights by adding themselves to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) indices, restricting them from purchasing firearms. Voluntary waiver forms would be made available by state departments, courts, medical professionals, and local law enforcement.
Individuals can request removal from the list, which typically takes 21 days, or seek expedited removal through a court hearing within two business days. The bill also provides for the confidentiality of waiver documents and prohibits discrimination based on a person's voluntary waiver, while outlining penalties for false statements or coercion.
This bill, HB 540, aims to revise the powers of the Department of Corrections (DOC) by allowing it to contract with private corporations to establish and maintain certain facilities and programs. Specifically, it amends existing law regarding who the DOC can contract with for services like prerelease and treatment centers, residential methamphetamine treatment programs, and residential sexual offender treatment programs. While existing law already allows contracting with private,
HB 555 aimed to revise laws related to chemical abortion, primarily by establishing new conditions for health care providers and responsibilities for drug manufacturers. It would have required health care providers to physically examine patients, be present during a chemical abortion, schedule a follow-up visit, and provide a "catch kit" and "medical waste bag" for proper disposal. The bill also sought to make manufacturers of abortion drugs responsible for the proper disposal of discarded drugs and for mitigating environmental effects of chemical byproducts entering public waste systems. Violations by providers could lead to felony charges, while manufacturers could face fines.
