Sen. Derek Harvey

Maddy summarySB 308 would remove Montana's current limit on workers' compensation benefits that capped payments at the state's average weekly wage. Instead, it would establish a fixed maximum benefit of $2,885 per week for all eligible injured workers. This change would directly affect higher-earning workers who previously received reduced benefits due to the wage-based cap. The bill amends specific sections of Montana's workers' compensation code to implement this fixed maximum payment structure.

Maddy summarySB 68 would prevent certain study committees (those staffed by the Legislative Services Division) from meeting during active legislative sessions. It targets committees created to study policy issues and recommend changes, requiring them to conduct work only during legislative breaks. The bill exempts the Legislative Council, Legislative Finance Committee, Legislative Audit Committee, and committees established under legislative rules, allowing them to meet during sessions. This change aims to limit committee activity during the legislature's active period, focusing their work on interim periods when lawmakers are not in session.

Maddy summarySB 325 would have created Montana's first state-run family and medical leave insurance program. It would have established an insurance fund funded by mandatory contributions from both employers and employees (and optional contributions from self-employed individuals), providing wage replacement benefits for up to 12 weeks per year for qualifying medical or family needs like childbirth, serious illness, or caring for a family member. The program would have directly affected Montana workers who paid into the fund, their employers, and self-employed individuals who opted in, with benefits contingent on fund solvency. The bill died in committee on May 23, 2025, and was never enacted into law.

Maddy summarySB 518 transfers the licensing oversight for emergency care providers from the Board of Medical Examiners to the Department of Labor and Industry. This means the Department of Labor and Industry will now be responsible for the licensing, complaints, and investigations related to these professionals. The bill also revises the membership of the Board of Medical Examiners, updates related definitions, and grants rulemaking authority to the Department of Labor and Industry for its new responsibilities.

Maddy summarySB 190 allows individuals or entities applying for new water use permits or changes to existing water rights to streamline their application process. This is achieved by enabling existing water right holders to voluntarily provide written consent. If consent is given, the applicant is no longer required to prove that their proposed water use will not negatively affect the specific consenting water rights. This change aims to simplify the permit approval process under certain conditions.

Maddy summarySB 87 eliminates the state general election day as a paid holiday for legislative employees and creates an annual floating holiday for qualified legislative branch workers. It revises the definition of "holiday" in Montana law to clarify that legislative employees will receive one flexible paid day off each year (the "floating holiday") instead of observing election day. This change directly affects all legislative branch employees who meet eligibility requirements under the revised code. The bill modifies existing provisions in Montana Code Annotated sections 2-18-601 and 2-18-603 to implement these specific holiday schedule adjustments.