SB 565 creates a permanent Montana Endowment for Early Childhood, funded by quarterly state transfers and fees from renewed childcare facility licenses. It establishes a 7-member board (including state agency staff and community representatives) to manage the endowment and allocate funds from the Montana Early Childhood Account. The bill directs funds toward grants for childcare workforce development, quality improvements (like safety upgrades), affordability programs (including subsidies), and emergency assistance for childcare providers. These funds directly support early childhood programs, providers, and families accessing childcare services across Montana.
HB 749 proposed to revise the procurement process for state contracts related to public assistance and human services programs. It would have required applicable state departments to use a scoring system that gives priority to contractors based on specific criteria. These criteria included a provider's demonstrated experience within the service area, their length of time operating in the state, their ability to leverage existing relationships, and the number of in-state jobs they propose to create or maintain. This bill aimed to influence how contracts for services such as housing and energy assistance are awarded.
HB 805 aims to revise existing workers' compensation laws. The bill would make individuals who are unlawfully employed aliens ineligible to receive workers' compensation benefits. Additionally, it mandates that an insurer must close a workers' compensation claim if the claimant leaves the United States or certain territories while their claim is active. These changes directly affect individuals applying for workers' compensation and the insurers responsible for processing claims.
HB 373 aimed to revise the allocation of excess state lottery revenue, dedicating it to education funding instead of the state general fund. The Office of Public Instruction would distribute these funds quarterly to school districts based on a per-quality-educator formula. Districts would deposit these funds into their school flexibility funds, which could be used for various expenditures, including teacher salaries, benefits, housing, technology enhancements, and facility improvements.
HB 484 proposed to increase the state's minimum hourly wage from $6.15 to $12.06, affecting many hourly workers and their employers. The bill maintained the existing mechanism for annual cost-of-living adjustments to the minimum wage. It also retained a lower minimum wage of $4 per hour for businesses with annual gross sales of $110,000 or less. If enacted, these provisions would have become effective on July 1, 2025.
HB 807 amends state law to prohibit individuals from being required to receive certain vaccines. Specifically, it mandates that vaccines whose use is allowed under an emergency use authorization (EUA) or those still undergoing safety trials cannot be a requirement. This applies to persons, governmental entities, employers, and public accommodations, preventing them from denying services, employment, or access based on non-receipt of such vaccines. The bill integrates this new prohibition into existing law concerning discrimination based on vaccination status.
