Rep. Jedediah Hinkle

Maddy summaryThis bill, HB 350, prohibits the state of Montana and its political subdivisions, such as counties and cities, from enforcing or collaborating with mandates issued by the World Health Organization, the United Nations, or the World Economic Forum. It declares that these international entities have no jurisdiction within the state. Furthermore, the legislation prevents the use of public funds or resources for the enforcement of any requirements from these organizations. The bill was signed by the Governor on 2025-05-05.

Maddy summaryHJ 35 is a joint resolution from the Montana Legislature urging federal officials to modify current federal land management and wildfire policies. It calls for an aggressive initial attack on wildfires across all federal lands and for federal forest roads to remain open for access and fire suppression. The resolution also recommends that EPA air quality standards include wildfire smoke and that federal "let it burn" policies be reversed, ensuring NEPA processes are followed. Finally, it advocates for increased involvement of state and local governments and stakeholder groups in federal fire management decisions to protect Montana's communities.

Maddy summaryHB 330 creates a new system for issuing special hunting licenses for antelope and swans. Each year, the state commission may offer one antelope and one swan license through a competitive auction or lottery. Wildlife conservation organizations can be authorized to conduct these events, retaining a small portion of the proceeds to cover expenses. All remaining funds generated from these license sales will be used by the department specifically for the conservation and management of antelope and migratory game birds.

Maddy summaryHB 471 revises education laws concerning human sexuality and identity instruction in public schools, impacting students, parents, and school districts. The bill requires written parental or guardian permission for a child to attend "identity instruction" and allows parents to withdraw their child from "human sexuality instruction" as an excused absence. It mandates that schools provide advance notice to parents about these instructions and make all related curriculum materials publicly available for inspection. Additionally, the bill prohibits entities that provide abortion services from offering or furnishing materials for human sexuality or sexually transmitted disease instruction to students or personnel.

Maddy summaryHB 312 revises speed limit laws for drivers in Montana. The bill increases the daytime speed limit to 75 miles per hour and the nighttime speed limit to 70 miles per hour on national highways that have been expanded to four lanes and are at least 15 miles long, except in special speed zones. It also updates the penalty section to reflect these new speed limits, maintaining that minor speeding violations (up to 10 mph daytime or 5 mph nighttime) are generally not recorded against a driver's record, with specific exceptions for commercial drivers or high-speed violations on interstates.

Maddy summaryThis resolution from the Montana House of Representatives urges the state's Fish and Wildlife Commission to protect the traditional November mule deer hunt. It specifically asks the Commission to retain the current timing of the hunt, including the opportunity to harvest bucks during the rut, and to avoid moving the season earlier into October. The resolution also recommends restricting antlerless mule deer harvest in areas with declining populations. Furthermore, it suggests guidelines for any buck harvest restrictions, such as limiting their scope to a maximum of 20% of districts and incorporating biological triggers like buck-to-doe ratios.

Maddy summaryHB 519 would repeal a law that gave nonresident landowners (people who own Montana land but live outside the state) a special preference for big game hunting licenses (Class B-10). Currently, nonresidents can buy "preference points" for $100 each to improve their odds of securing a license, and landowners had an additional advantage under the repealed section. The bill removes this landowner preference, meaning all nonresidents would compete under the same preference point system. The change would take effect March 1, 2026, directly affecting nonresident landowners who currently benefit from the preference.