Rep. Jonathan Karlen

Maddy summaryThis bill expands Montana's Best Beginnings scholarship program to provide direct financial aid to child-care workers employed at licensed day-care centers or registered family/group day-care homes. It removes standard income eligibility requirements for these workers (previously only applied to families) and allocates $5.5 million annually from the general fund starting July 2025 to fund these scholarships. The program now specifically supports child-care workers through this new funding stream, separate from the existing family-focused scholarship component.

Maddy summaryHJ 38 is a joint resolution requesting an interim study to improve public access to Montana's legislative process. It directs a legislative committee to examine website accessibility (including the new bill-tracking system), public comment procedures, consistency in committee testimony rules, and barriers for Montanans with disabilities. The study must report findings to the 70th Legislature by September 2026, incorporating feedback from the public, legislators, staff, and disability advocates. The resolution was tabled and died in committee on May 22, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 154 would have created a new tax credit for Montana renters and homeowners with household incomes under $150,000. The credit would equal 75% of either property taxes paid (for homeowners) or 15% of rent paid (for renters), minus an income-based percentage (ranging from 1% to 9.5%). To qualify, residents needed to have lived in Montana for at least 9 months and occupied a home or rental for 6 months during the tax year. The bill died in committee in May 2025 without becoming law.

Maddy summaryHJ 41 was a joint resolution that requested an interim study of Montana's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and the Residential Mobile Home Lot Rental Act, which impact renters and mobile home park residents across the state. The study aimed to identify outdated provisions, compare Montana's laws to those in other states, and examine the effects of private equity firms owning housing. Its purpose was to find opportunities for clarifying, modernizing, or reforming these laws, with findings to be reported to the 70th Legislature.

Maddy summaryHB 304 revises residential tenant security deposit laws, directly affecting both landlords and tenants. The bill requires landlords to provide tenants with an itemized written notice of any unaccomplished cleaning and estimated costs before deducting cleaning charges from a security deposit. Tenants are then given 48 hours, extended from 24, to complete the necessary cleaning. Additionally, the bill prohibits landlords from charging a fee for inspecting the cleaning tenants have completed within this timeframe.

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summaryHB 422 proposed to amend Montana's covenant laws to allow specific types of agreements aimed at encouraging workforce housing affordability. The bill would have permitted covenants that restrict the sale, lease, or an owner's share of equity appreciation on residential properties. These restrictions would apply to individuals with specific incomes or occupations. The intent was to ensure the long-term affordability and attainability of housing for the workforce by allowing these covenants to remain with the property through future ownership.

Maddy summaryHB 305 sought to establish the Montana Mobile Home Park Dispute Resolution Program, administered by the Department of Commerce, to help mobile home landlords and tenants resolve disputes. The program would provide educational materials on rights and responsibilities and allow either party to file complaints regarding alleged violations. The Department would investigate complaints, facilitate negotiations, and make determinations, with the power to impose remedies like fines or orders for rent refunds. The bill also required mobile home parks to register, pay fees to fund the program, and provide notice before a park's sale.

Maddy summaryHB 168 revises state school funding laws to include 3- and 4-year-old children with disabilities in a school district's annual number belonging (ANB) calculations. This change enables school districts to receive state financial support for providing special education services to these preschool-aged children. Previously, these children were not included in ANB counts, meaning there was no state funding mechanism for their education, despite districts being obligated to provide these services. The bill amends Section 20-9-311, MCA, to allow their inclusion based on aggregate hours of pupil instruction.

Maddy summaryHB 264 revises laws regarding wildlife location data and telemetry frequencies. It primarily prohibits the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (DFWP) from releasing location data or telemetry frequencies for hunted or trapped animals. Exceptions allow for the release of data from completed studies or general data three years after its collection. The DFWP can also release this information for environmental permitting activities. This bill amends existing public information laws to incorporate these new restrictions on access to wildlife tracking data.