This bill amends Montana law to allow schools to maintain a supply of stock albuterol for emergency use and to permit students with asthma or severe allergies to carry and self-administer their prescribed medication during school hours and related activities. It defines key terms like "stock albuterol" and "authorized personnel" and requires schools to obtain written parental authorization, physician documentation, and proof of the student's ability to use the medication before allowing self-administration. The legislation also establishes liability protections for schools and their employees, limiting their responsibility to cases involving gross negligence, willful misconduct, or intentional torts. Additionally, the bill requires that all necessary documentation be kept on file and mandates that permissions be renewed annually or when medication conditions change.
This bill creates a new Board of Physical, Rehabilitative, and Developmental Health Care Professionals in Montana to oversee licensing for several health professions. The board will consist of 12 members representing athletic trainers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and the public. It consolidates authority currently held by separate boards for athletic trainers, occupational therapy practitioners, physical therapy examiners, and speech-language pathologists and audiologists into this single new board. The board will establish licensure criteria, set fees, and issue licenses for these professions while the Department of Labor and Industry handles administrative tasks. This change affects professionals in these fields who currently hold separate licenses and will now fall under one unified regulatory body.
This bill adopts the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact to allow licensed psychologists to practice across state lines through telepsychology and temporary in-person services. It creates a system where psychologists licensed in one compact state can provide remote mental health services to clients in other participating states without needing separate licenses in each location. The legislation also establishes a coordinated database for sharing licensure and disciplinary information between states to protect public safety and includes rules for temporary practice authorization and adverse action notifications. This agreement applies only to temporary practice and telepsychology, not to permanent in-person practice, and requires psychologists to follow the laws of each state where they provide services.
This bill requires schools, day care centers, and other licensed organizations in Montana to accept religious and informed consent exemptions from required immunizations without question or malice. It mandates that these entities cannot refuse enrollment or attendance based on such exemptions and faces potential loss of state funding if they violate this requirement. The legislation also establishes legal remedies for individuals who are denied exemptions, allowing them to file complaints and seek compensatory damages, attorney fees, and costs. Additionally, the bill clarifies the process for obtaining exemptions by specifying what documentation is needed for religious, medical, and informed consent claims while prohibiting state agencies from reviewing medical exemption forms to approve or deny them.
This bill amends Montana's public health laws to restrict local boards of health from adopting sanitation rules that exceed state standards and to exempt existing subsurface wastewater treatment systems from new local rule changes. It directly affects local health departments and private property owners with on-site wastewater systems by limiting their regulatory authority over sanitation enforcement. The key provision removes the ability of local boards to create stricter sanitation requirements than the state mandates while preserving their power to enforce state-level standards and address public health nuisances. Additionally, the bill ensures that wastewater systems already installed and functioning remain unaffected by future amendments to local health rules.
This bill prohibits the placement of sentenced defendants with mental health conditions or developmental disabilities in the State Forensic Mental Health Facility at Galen, Montana. Instead, the law requires courts to sentence these individuals to other appropriate correctional, mental health, residential, or developmental disabilities facilities for custody, care, and treatment. The bill allows for future transfers to facilities that better meet the defendant's needs and includes provisions for reviewing sentences when a defendant's condition changes or treatment becomes unavailable.
This bill designates the last full week of September as Frontotemporal Degeneration Awareness Week in Montana to increase public understanding of the disease. It directly affects residents of Montana, healthcare providers, and community organizations by encouraging them to participate in awareness activities during that period. The resolution includes provisions for the Governor to issue a proclamation and for the Secretary of State to distribute copies to state health officials and county commissions. The bill highlights the importance of recognizing FTD as a serious neurodegenerative condition that often affects younger individuals and is frequently misdiagnosed.
This bill requires Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services to publish daily statistics on hospitalizations and deaths during a declared public health emergency. The law mandates that these reports include breakdowns by age group, gender, length of hospitalization, date of death, and underlying health conditions. The department must share this information on its website using methods that comply with existing privacy laws. This measure aims to increase transparency about the impact of public health emergencies on Montanans.
This bill updates income eligibility rules for Montana's Best Beginnings child care scholarship program, which helps families afford child care services. It requires the state to set income limits at no less than 185% of the federal poverty level or 85% of the state median income, whichever is higher, while also ensuring the maximum income cap does not exceed federal child care grant standards. The legislation includes a $17 million annual appropriation from the general fund to support the program starting July 1, 2025, and takes effect on that same date.
This bill establishes a presumptive eligibility process for Medicaid home and community-based services in Montana for individuals with physical disabilities and elderly persons. It allows qualified applicants to receive services such as personal care, meal delivery, and medical equipment without first completing full Medicaid eligibility determinations. The program requires a screening process conducted by trained staff at designated agencies, including hospitals, tribal entities, or aging service organizations, which includes a functional assessment and self-attestation of income and residency requirements. Coverage under this presumptive eligibility is limited to one 12-month period per applicant, and recipients must apply for full Medicaid coverage within 10 days of receiving services.
