Montana House Speaker Knudsen introduces two new bills

I am excited to report that two of the first bills to reach Governor Gianforte’s desk will open our state’s economy and strengthen the 2nd Amendment rights of Montanans. Senate Bill 65 to limit COVID-19 liability and House Bill 102 to allow permitless carry have passed both houses of the Legislature and are on their way to the Governor for his signature.

We are about a month into the legislative session and the Montana House has advanced important bills to expand healthcare options for families, secure elections, support education, protect life, promote safety, and open Montana’s economy. Most importantly, we have done our work in a safe manner and made this the most accessible legislative session in Montana history by making online participation available. You can go to leg.mt.gov to learn more.

On the healthcare front, some important bills are House Bill 43 (HB 43) which will expand telehealth, HB 231 to eliminate burdensome Certificate of Needs laws which will allow more healthcare services to open up, and Senate Bill 101 which will allow Direct Primary Care to expand.

The legislature’s education committees are working on bills to expand education options for families. These include Senate Bills 18, 22, and 109 which expand Career and Technical Education, allow students to receive diplomas from alternative programs outside their public school, and require public schools to offer gifted & talented coursework. The House Education Committee is working on legislation to revise the Tax Credit Scholarship Program to increase the maximum tax deduction and reduce regulations on those accessing the scholarships. House Bill 129 amends the existing Montana Family Education Savings Program to allow for K-12 expenditures. Another bill will be announced to create special education savings accounts to help address disparities in services and allow parents to support the individual needs of their child.

The House has passed 5 pro-life bills which protect unborn infants and also support pregnant women’s health. We passed HB 200 to prevent sanctuary cities in the state and HB 176 to protect election integrity by moving late voter registration to the day before the election instead of 8 pm on election day.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Casey Knudsen (R-Malta) is the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Montana House of Representatives