Sen. Daniel Emrich

Maddy summarySB 154 revises the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act by explicitly prohibiting the sale or purchase of whole human bodies. The bill amends existing definitions within the Act, clarifying that "part" of a human body, which can be donated, does not include an entire body. These changes affect individuals and organizations involved in anatomical gifts by clearly defining what cannot be bought or sold. The bill took immediate effect upon becoming law.

Maddy summarySB 41 establishes a new procedure for selecting replacement district court judges in Montana. When a district court judge is substituted, disqualified, or recused from a case, subsequent judges must be chosen through a random selection process. This random selection is defined as choosing from a larger group by chance, with a mechanism to ensure the replacement judge's district is geographically reasonably close to the original judge's district. The Office of the Court Administrator is required to establish this procedure by October 1, 2025, and distribute it to all district court judges.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 36 revises school funding laws by removing expired contingency language related to block grants for school districts. The bill specifically addresses provisions for the repayment of "coal-fired generating unit closure mitigation block grants" provided to school districts. These repayment conditions were tied to specific closure dates for generating units that occurred on or before July 1, 2022. Since these dates have passed, the bill eliminates the outdated requirements from the Montana Code Annotated.

Maddy summarySB 37 revises school funding laws by clarifying how significant enrollment increases are calculated for state aid payments. The bill specifies that these calculations must be made separately for each budget unit within a school district. A district becomes eligible for additional funding if its current October enrollment count, converted to ANB, exceeds its budget limit ANB from three years prior by 110% or more. The Superintendent of Public Instruction determines the payment amount, which districts can accept fully or partially to address costs associated with the enrollment growth.

Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies how school districts count enrollment for funding purposes when children participate in early literacy jumpstart programs. It specifies that children in these programs are counted as quarter-time enrollment for a district's Average Number Belonging (ANB) calculation, which determines state funding. The bill also states that if a child attends a jumpstart program in a district other than their resident district, no out-of-district attendance agreement or tuition is required. Additionally, it outlines reporting requirements for districts on program efficacy and mandates the superintendent of public instruction to monitor and report on these interventions.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 34 revises laws related to K-12 school districts, primarily affecting how these unified districts manage their finances and transitions. It removes obsolete language concerning tuition calculations for K-12 districts. The bill clarifies how various funding components, such as basic county tax and guaranteed tax base aid, are calculated separately for elementary and high school programs within these districts. Additionally, it specifies that the previous year's general fund budgets of the elementary and high school districts are combined to determine the budget limitation for a newly formed K-12 school district.