Budget & Taxes (State Budget)

This bill amends Montana state law to require public libraries receiving state aid to provide matching funds equal to the grant amount. The matching funds must come from local or tribal government sources, not from other state or federal money. Libraries must submit certification from a responsible official confirming they have secured the required matching funds before receiving state grants. The changes take effect on July 1, 2025, and apply to the distribution of per capita and per square mile funding to public libraries and library districts.

This bill requires counties in Montana to receive a reduced portion of their state entitlement funding if they fail to comply with mandatory child abuse and neglect reporting laws. The Attorney General would report any county noncompliance to the Department of Revenue, which would then withhold the county's share of the state general fund entitlement payment. This penalty mechanism directly affects county governments and aims to ensure they maintain proper child protection reporting systems. The bill amends existing state statutes to establish this financial consequence for noncompliance with child abuse reporting requirements.

This bill would have prohibited state funding for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in public K-12 schools. It aimed to prevent public school districts from using state funds for initiatives related to DEI, directly affecting school budgets and program offerings. The bill was introduced in 2024 but died in the drafting process in May 2025, meaning it did not advance to a vote or become law.

HB 883 aims to reduce the funding for the State Supreme Court for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025. If passed alongside a general appropriations act, the bill would set the Supreme Court's appropriation at $18 million and void any other appropriations to the court. It also prohibits the transfer of funds or appropriation authority from district court functions to the Supreme Court for that biennium.

This bill would have prohibited state or local governments from using public funds to support pride events or other LGBTQ-related gatherings. It directly affected government agencies and municipalities that allocate public money for community events. The key provision would have created a spending restriction on such activities, though the bill never advanced beyond the drafting stage and died in process in May 2025.