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HB 385 Montana House · 2025 Regular Session

Establishing the school mental health promotion pilot program

HB 385 proposed establishing the School Mental Health Promotion Pilot Program, administered by the Office of Public Instruction. This program would have provided grants to Montana school districts to implement innovative, student-led, and locally determined initiatives aimed at improving student mental health. Districts applying for grants would have needed to demonstrate specific needs, broad community support in their application development, and plans for mental health promotion activities and program evaluation. The bill proposed annual grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 for a two-year period, with $250,000 appropriated annually from the general fund. The program was set to terminate on June 30, 2029.
Issues: ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesFunds school mental health pilot program through grants, directly addressing appropriations in state budget allocation.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationProvides grants for school mental health programs, enhancing student well-being and support services within K-12 education.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill allocates grants to school districts for student mental health promotion initiatives, directly advancing mental health services through funding and program implementation.95% confidence
Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 4, 2025 Last action May 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB0385_1(5).pdf → HB0385_2.pdf · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was renumbered from HB 385.1 to HB 385.2 and underwent significant restructuring of its grant program. The most critical change is the addition of a minimum funding floor of $5,000 for grants, ensuring schools receive a baseline amount regardless of enrollment size. The definition of 'mental health promotion activities' was expanded to include a broader range of community-based initiatives, and the appropriation section was updated to reflect these new funding rules.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include a guaranteed minimum grant amount for all participating schools, ensuring smaller schools are not excluded from receiving funding.
FISCAL

Added a mandatory minimum grant amount of $5,000, ensuring schools receive at least this sum even if their calculated amount based on enrollment is lower.

Restructured the grant calculation formula to explicitly list two options: a flat $50,000 or $25 per enrolled student, whichever is less, but never below $5,000.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of mental health promotion activities to include a wider variety of community-based projects, intergenerational programs, and creative arts.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill number from HB 385.1 to HB 385.2 and adjusted page headers to reflect the new version.

Floor votes · House Feb 24, 2025

How they voted

62–37
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 100
Feb 24, 2025
D Democratic42
42 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican58
20 Yea 37 Nay 1
63% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
31
Key actions
3
Committee
4
Amendments
1
Mar 31, 2025
Amended
(H) Tabled in Committee - (H) Appropriations
lower
Feb 24, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (62-37-1)
house
Feb 24, 2025
Committee
(H) Rereferred to Committee - (H) Appropriations
lower
Feb 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Education
lower
Feb 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Education
lower
Feb 5, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Education
lower
Feb 4, 2025
Introduced
(H) Introduced
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Melissa Romano
Melissa Romano
DDemocratic
MT
80