This joint resolution expresses the Montana Legislature's support for expanding and upgrading the state's electrical transmission infrastructure to improve grid reliability and affordability. The document highlights concerns about stagnant transmission development over recent decades and notes that neighboring states have more robust transmission capacity than Montana. It emphasizes that increased transmission capacity could help attract industrial investment, create jobs using local skilled labor, and generate tax revenue for local and state governments. The resolution directs copies to state officials, neighboring governors, utility associations, and federal agencies to encourage collaboration on transmission projects.
This bill establishes the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, requiring employers with 10 or more employees to provide paid sick leave to their workers. Under the new law, employees earn at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, up to a maximum of 80 hours per year, with the option to carry unused leave forward to the next year. The paid leave can be used for personal illness, family medical needs, domestic violence situations, sexual assault, or preventive health care, and employers must maintain confidential records of leave requests. The Department of Labor and Industry is authorized to enforce the policy, while employers offering similar leave through collective bargaining agreements or providing more generous benefits may qualify for exceptions.
This bill modifies Montana's workers' compensation laws by removing the cap that limits benefit payments to the state's average weekly wage. It directly affects employees, volunteers, and specific groups such as volunteer firefighters, inmates in prison industries programs, and individuals performing community service under court orders. The key provision allows injured workers to receive benefits based on their actual wages rather than a fixed state average, while maintaining special rules that limit benefits for certain categories like community service participants to minimum wage levels. The legislation also clarifies coverage definitions for various worker types, including religious organization members and national guard personnel performing state duties.
This Montana bill establishes three tax credits to support families and child-care workers: a $1,200 child tax credit for parents of children age 5 or younger, a $1,600 credit for child-care workers who work at least 20 hours per week for six months, and a $5,000 maximum credit for employers who provide dependent care assistance to employees. The child tax credit is available to residents with earned income and limited investment income, while the worker credit applies to those employed in licensed day-care centers, family homes, or early childhood programs. All three credits are refundable and will be adjusted annually for inflation, with the department authorized to create rules for administering the program.
This bill creates a new criminal offense for assaulting employees of public utilities in Montana, covering acts that cause bodily injury, create reasonable fear of serious injury through weapons, or result in serious bodily injury. The law directly affects individuals who attack utility workers and establishes specific prison terms and fines based on the severity of the assault, with penalties ranging from up to 10 years in prison and $50,000 in fines for lesser offenses to up to 20 years and the same fine for causing serious bodily injury. By defining these actions as distinct crimes with enhanced penalties, the legislation aims to provide clearer legal consequences for violence against utility workers without changing how other assault cases are handled.
This bill increases employer contributions to four Montana state retirement systems: the Public Employees' Retirement System, Highway Patrol Officers' Retirement System, Sheriffs' Retirement System, and Game Wardens and Peace Officers' Retirement System. It establishes a new supplemental contribution rate of 2.27% for the Public Employees' Retirement System, which was previously set to increase annually until 2024. The bill also creates new employer contribution requirements for the Highway Patrol, Sheriff, and Game Warden retirement systems, funding them through annual state transfers and actuarially determined rates. These changes aim to address unfunded liabilities in these pension systems by requiring employers to pay additional percentages of employee compensation.
This bill creates a Montana Rail Inspection Program by directing eight percent of state railroad taxes into a dedicated special revenue account to fund track safety inspections. The legislation establishes permanent funding through statutory appropriation, meaning the money is automatically allocated without requiring annual legislative approval. It also grants the state agency responsible for rail safety rulemaking authority and requires regular reporting on inspection activities. The changes directly affect state agencies managing railroad infrastructure and the railroad industry operating within Montana.
This bill reorganizes Montana's employment security funding by allowing money from the employment security account to be used for the Office of Community Service and the Commission for Human Rights. It transfers the Office of Community Service from the Governor's office to the Department of Labor and Industry, placing it under the department's administrative umbrella. The legislation amends state law to explicitly list funding for community service administration and discrimination law enforcement as allowable uses of employment security funds. These changes consolidate related government functions and clarify how existing funds can support volunteer service programs and civil rights enforcement activities.
This Montana bill prohibits employers, government entities, and public accommodations from requiring individuals to receive vaccines that are only authorized under emergency use or are still undergoing safety trials. It also bans discrimination against people based on their vaccination status or whether they possess an immunity passport, with exceptions for schools and day-care facilities. The law allows employers to recommend vaccines and permits health care facilities to ask about vaccination status if they implement reasonable accommodations for unvaccinated individuals. These provisions aim to prevent mandatory vaccination requirements for certain vaccines while protecting individuals from discrimination related to their vaccination choices.
This bill updates Montana's apprenticeship laws to clarify the roles of the Department of Labor and Industry and ensure apprenticeship programs remain voluntary for employers. It requires the department to register and oversee apprenticeship agreements, report biennially to the governor and legislature, and use prevailing wage rates as a baseline for calculating apprentice wages. The bill also specifies that apprentices must be at least 16 years old and receive at least 2,000 hours of on-the-job training plus 144 hours of related instruction annually, while allowing credit for prior training or experience up to 50%. Employers retain the option to transfer training obligations to approved facilities and may request termination during a probationary period.
