HB 51 proposes to increase the supplemental employer contribution rate paid by employers within the Montana University System (MUS) to the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS). Currently, MUS employers contribute 4.72% of the total compensation for employees participating in the MUS Retirement Program. This bill would raise that contribution rate to 14.21%. The increased contributions are intended to help amortize the past service liability of the Teachers' Retirement System for university system members by July 1, 2033, with the changes taking effect on July 1, 2025.
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.
HB 405 proposed to increase the maximum reimbursement rates that school districts receive from state and county sources for student transportation. The bill specifically raised the per-mile rates for school buses of different passenger capacities, as well as for non-bus mileage. The intent was to lower school district property taxes designated for transportation expenses. These changes would have applied to school district transportation budgets starting July 1, 2025.
HB 457 aimed to modify the Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship Program. It proposed changing the family income eligibility requirement from a minimum of 185% of the federal poverty level to 85% of the state median income for each family size. Additionally, the bill sought to appropriate $17 million annually from the general fund to the Department of Public Health and Human Services for the program for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025.
HB 508 aimed to establish media literacy as a legislative goal for Montana's public elementary and secondary schools. The bill proposed amending state law to include strengthening media literacy within the state's educational objectives. This would involve teaching students to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using various forms of communication. Additionally, it sought to help students reduce their susceptibility to disinformation, misinformation, propaganda, and indoctrination. The overall goal was to integrate these media literacy skills into the learning environment for all public school students.
HB 265 proposed changes to how Montana school districts manage their general fund budgets, primarily affecting school boards and local taxpayers. The bill would have allowed school boards to increase a previously voter-approved local property tax levy (an "over-BASE levy") by the same inflationary adjustment provided by the legislature for state school funding. This adjustment would not require a new vote from district electors, provided the increase was solely due to the legislative inflation adjustment and stayed within overall budget limits. The bill aimed to improve the alignment of school funding with the defined "basic system" and ensure annual inflationary adjustments are included in the funding formula.
HB 922 proposes to establish a new education tax credit for resident taxpayers who are parents or legal guardians of children attending nonpublic schools. This bill would allow a $250 credit per eligible student each year, applied against the taxpayer's income tax liability. Any unused credit could be carried forward for up to three years. The legislation also revises the review schedule for existing tax credits and aims to provide parity in aggregate limits for educational programs in public and nonpublic school settings.
The provided bill text, identified as Senate Bill 382, focuses on revising laws related to immunization exemptions, which differs from the title "Establish the specie legal tender act" for HB 382.
Based on the provided text, this bill mandates that various entities, including state agencies, schools, child care facilities, and licensed health care providers, must accept religious or informed consent exemptions for required immunizations, injections, or medications for employment or attendance. It establishes that denying such an exemption is an unlawful discriminatory practice. Non-compliant entities could face a loss of state funding, and individuals denied an exemption may file complaints and seek compensatory damages. The bill also clarifies and strengthens the existing provisions for religious, medical, and informed consent exemptions for school attendance.
HB 771 aimed to revise university housing policies for the Montana University System. It would have prevented universities from requiring students to live on campus if they live with an immediate family member whose principal residence is within a one-hour drive of the campus. Students could be required to submit a form confirming their off-campus residence with a parent, guardian, grandparent, aunt/uncle, or adult sibling. Universities would have had two business days to approve or deny such requests, provided the student met the specified conditions.
House Bill 864 implements provisions related to education funding and administration across various institutions. It expands the use of the School Facility and Technology Account, allowing excess funds to be transferred to the School Major Maintenance Aid Account to prevent aid reductions for schools. For community colleges, the bill revises definitions and mechanisms for calculating state general fund appropriations, incorporating inflationary adjustments and changes in full-time equivalent (FTE) student numbers. It also increases payments for resident nonbeneficiary students at tribal colleges and mandates a study on interlibrary resource sharing programs and the Office of Public Instruction.
