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 revises Montana's workers' compensation laws by clarifying who qualifies for coverage and establishing new eligibility rules. It explicitly includes lawfully employed aliens while prohibiting unlawfully employed aliens from receiving workers' compensation benefits. The legislation also requires insurers to close claims for individuals who leave the United States or certain U.S. territories while a claim is active. Additionally, the bill updates definitions to cover various groups such as vocational trainees, community service workers, and inmates in prison industries programs, while maintaining exclusions for volunteers and foster parents. These changes aim to streamline how workers' compensation claims are handled and define the scope of covered workers more precisely.
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.
This bill establishes a formal licensing and regulatory system for community health workers in Montana, requiring them to meet specific education, training, and experience standards before practicing. The Department of Labor and Industry will oversee the program, setting rules for qualifications, supervision requirements, and license fees while allowing exemptions for those with equivalent training or experience. The legislation also authorizes the Department of Public Health and Human Services to reimburse community health workers for services provided to patients. Additionally, the bill amends existing state law to include community health workers in the uniform licensing framework used for other regulated professions.
This bill removes the expiration date on Montana's requirement for reporting and disclosing violence against healthcare employees. It directly affects healthcare facilities and staff who must document incidents of violence in the workplace. The key provision repeals Section 4 of Chapter 516 from the 2023 laws, which previously set a sunset date for these reporting rules. As a result, the mandate for tracking and disclosing violence against healthcare workers continues indefinitely without a set end date.
