Healthcare

introduced · Montana · Legislature Mar 25, 2025

LC 1776: Provide for sudden cardiac arrest prevention in youth sports

This bill requires Montana schools to create cardiac emergency response plans for youth sports, effective for the 2026-2027 school year. It mandates that coaches obtain CPR/AED certification, hold annual informational meetings with parents and athletes about cardiac arrest symptoms, and immediately remove athletes showing warning signs. Athletes removed for potential cardiac issues must receive written medical clearance before returning to play. The bill also clarifies that purchasing automatic defibrillators for school safety is an allowable expense under state funding rules.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates cardiac emergency protocols in schools, requiring medical clearance and CPR/AED training to prevent health risks, directly protecting athlete health under public safety/health framework.85% confidence

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Mar 26, 2025

LC 2722: Provide subpoena powers to the office of inspector general

LC 2722 authorizes Montana's Office of Inspector General (within the Department of Public Health and Human Services) to issue subpoenas requiring the production of financial records, documents, or electronic data related to investigations of waste, fraud, or abuse in health care services and public assistance programs. The bill specifies that subpoenas must be signed by both the department director and the Inspector General. It appropriates $5,000 from the general fund for implementation during the 2025-2027 biennium. This change directly affects the Inspector General's investigative authority and the entities (like health care providers and public assistance programs) under investigation. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAppropriates $5,000 for IG oversight to prevent waste/fraud in public funds, promoting fiscal responsibility within state budget management.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEnables IG to investigate healthcare fraud/waste, protecting public funds and programs under health services oversight.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Public Health

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Mar 26, 2025

LC 1975: Establish a behavioral health trust fund

This bill creates the Montana Behavioral Health Trust Fund to provide dedicated funding for mental health and substance use services. It establishes a seven-member board (appointed by the governor, legislative leaders, and tribal representatives) to manage the fund, which receives quarterly interest from a permanent endowment (preserving the principal). Funds will support specific services like school-based mental health programs, crisis care, counselors in homeless shelters, transitional housing, and facility expansions - directly benefiting community organizations and public health services. The bill mandates that funds cannot replace existing state funding and requires the board to develop a state plan and monitor program effectiveness.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates dedicated funding via trust fund for mental health services, aligns with appropriations subject and supports public service funding.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationFunds school-based mental health programs, directly supporting student well-being and access to educational services within K-12 schools.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates dedicated funding via trust fund for mental health/substance use services, supporting access through school programs, crisis care, and shelter counselors.95% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingFunds counselors in homeless shelters and transitional housing, directly supporting housing stability for vulnerable populations through mental health services.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Mental Health Public Health Homelessness

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Mar 26, 2025

LC 2541: Generally revise Medicaid laws to improve customer service

Montana's LC 2541 bill aims to improve Medicaid service accessibility for applicants and recipients by requiring the Department of Public Health and Human Services to: (1) implement mobile-first technology for all client-facing systems by June 2026; (2) provide written materials in plain language and translate them into the state's five most common languages; (3) offer hotline callers expected wait times and callback options; and (4) report quarterly on service metrics like renewal rates and processing times. The bill also mandates reopening 10 local public assistance offices by June 2026, prioritizing counties with high call volumes, disenrollment rates due to procedural errors, and long travel distances. It includes a $3 million annual appropriation for implementation and sets a target of a 60% ex parte renewal rate (renewals processed without in-person contact) by June 2026. These changes directly affect Montana Medicaid beneficiaries, applicants, and county offices administering the program.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates Medicaid service improvements including mobile tech, multilingual materials, and wait time transparency to enhance access to healthcare services.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyRequires mobile-first technology implementation for Medicaid systems by 2026, enhancing digital service accessibility and aligning with digital equity goals.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Public Health

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Mar 27, 2025

LC 496: Generally revise behavioral health laws to create a secure forensic facility

This bill creates a 70-bed secure forensic facility in Montana to provide care for individuals with specific court findings (such as guilty but mentally ill or needing competency evaluations). The facility must offer psychiatric treatment, competency restoration, and security, located east of Big Timber, and will be funded through a $60 million appropriation from the Behavioral Health System for Future Generations Fund. It amends existing law to allow this fund to cover construction costs for new behavioral health infrastructure, including the facility. The bill directly affects the state's behavioral health system and individuals requiring forensic mental health services.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates $60M from Behavioral Health Fund for facility construction, advancing state budget allocation for public services via appropriations.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeCreates forensic facility for mental health treatment and competency restoration, advancing rehabilitation-focused criminal justice reform.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates 70-bed forensic facility for psychiatric treatment and competency restoration, funded by $60M from behavioral health fund, directly advancing mental health services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Mental Health

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Mar 30, 2025

LC 4182: Establish the Montana rare disease advisory council

Montana's LC 4182 establishes a 17-member Rare Disease Advisory Council within the Department of Public Health and Human Services. The council includes diverse members representing patients, caregivers, healthcare providers (like physicians and geneticists), researchers, pharmaceutical companies, insurers, and state agencies to address rare disease challenges. Its key duties include holding public hearings, developing policy recommendations for better diagnosis and treatment access, publishing resources online, and identifying research gaps. The council will report annually to the department and legislature, aiming to improve care coordination for Montanans affected by rare diseases (defined as conditions impacting fewer than 200,000 people nationally). The bill creates this permanent advisory body without mandating new state-funded programs.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes council to develop policy recommendations improving rare disease diagnosis/treatment access, directly advancing healthcare services per bill summary and subjects.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Public Health

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died · Montana · Legislature May 23, 2025

LC 949: Extend study to make recommendations for future of behavioral health in Montana

This bill (LC 949) proposed extending a study on Montana's behavioral health system to develop recommendations for its future structure and funding. It would have directly affected state officials overseeing behavioral health services and potentially providers within the system. The key mechanism was simply prolonging the existing study period to allow more time for analysis and input. The bill was assigned to a drafter in 2024 but did not advance further, dying in process in May 2025 without becoming law.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExtends study on behavioral health to develop future funding/structure recommendations, directly supporting mental health system improvements per bill's purpose.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Mental Health

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died · Montana · Legislature May 23, 2025

LC 929: Provide more transparency in board of behavioral health

This bill (LC 929) aimed to increase transparency for the Board of Behavioral Health. It proposed specific measures to make the board's operations more open and accountable, directly affecting the board members and the behavioral health services they oversee. However, the bill never advanced beyond the drafting stage, as it was placed on hold in November 2024 and ultimately died in the legislative process by May 2025. No provisions were enacted, so it did not result in any concrete policy changes.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill aimed to increase transparency for Board of Behavioral Health, directly supporting oversight of mental health services under healthcare policy.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Mental Health Tags Government Transparency

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died · Montana · Legislature May 26, 2025

LC 1529: Permit prescribed medications in detention centers

This bill, LC 1529, would have permitted detainees in county detention centers to receive their prescribed medications. It directly affected individuals held in detention who rely on ongoing medical treatments. The bill aimed to change facility policies to allow access to necessary medications without requiring special dispensation. However, the bill died in the legislative process on May 26, 2025, and never became law.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill enables access to prescribed medications for detainees in correctional facilities, improving health care access and aligning with rehabilitation-focused criminal justice reform.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEnsures detainees access prescribed medications, improving healthcare access for incarcerated individuals without requiring special dispensation.95% confidence

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died · Montana · Legislature May 26, 2025

LC 1606: Require paid sick leave in Montana

This bill (LC 1606) proposed requiring Montana employers to provide paid sick leave to employees. It would have directly affected workers in Montana by mandating that employers offer a minimum number of paid sick days per year for health needs or other qualifying reasons. The key provision would have required businesses above a certain size to establish this benefit, though specific details like the number of days or eligibility thresholds weren't provided in the available context. The bill was drafted in 2024 but was placed on hold and ultimately died in the legislative process in May 2025, meaning it never became law.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates paid sick leave for health needs, improving access to healthcare services without income loss for employees seeking treatment.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates paid sick leave for Montana workers, expanding employee benefits and protecting health-related absences95% confidence

Sub-Topics Paid Leave

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