The 2021 Legislative Session Montana's biennial legislative session is always a top MFPE priority because decisions made there profoundly affect members' pocketbooks and professions. The 67th session was unique due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and a single political party controlling both the legislative and executive branches, but MFPE members were undaunted. Nearly 3,000 MFPE members and staff joined the first-ever Rapid Response Team of member-lobbyists. They attended statewide virtual meetings throughout the session and sent tens of thousands of messages to legislators via texts, emails, and phone calls. These efforts were crucial in asserting MFPE's strength and reach. Because MFPE members engaged like never before, we successfully beat back five union-busting bills all directed at undermining the ability of Montana workers to belong to and participate in a union. Our collective efforts also secured several legislative victories including the quick and bipartisan approval of the state and university employee pay plan and funding for public education and services, state agencies, the Montana University System, and Community Colleges. Through the Rapid Response Team, MFPE members successfully advocated for bills to stabilize the Sheriff and Highway Patrol pensions and fought to defeat an assortment of bills that would have destroyed the Teachers’ and Public Employees’ Retirement Systems. MFPE members and staff mobilized to defeat a parade of bad ideas: a private charter school bill; private school vouchers to divert money from public schools to private schools; voter suppression; and bad tax policies that defund public services while giving tax breaks to the ultrawealthy. Despite our best efforts, some bills with harmful consequences for MFPE members became law. HB 102 circumvents the constitutional authority of the Montana Board of Regents by allowing concealed carry of weapons on Montana University System campuses and government offices. And HB 279 siphons away tax dollars for public services and allows wealthy Montanans and corporations to forsake up to $200,000 of tax obligation for contributions that fund private and religious institutions. We’re not done yet. Together, we’ll fight these and other harmful laws in court and at the ballot box. We're already going to court over our loss of voting rights in HB 176 and the government overreach in HB 102. While the enclosed voting record does not and cannot list the hundreds of bills that MFPE lobbied for or against during the 2021 session, MFPE members should review the record to see how your legislators voted on issues critical to our jobs, our communities, and our families. After you’ve done so, we hope you’ll join our efforts! You can sign up to take action, get issue updates, and get involved in determining who represents you in the Montana legislature by going to https://www.mfpe.org/freedom. Bill Summaries HB 13 Julie Dooling (R – Helena) HB 251 Caleb Hinkle (R – Belgrade) Short Title: State Employee Pay Plan Short Title: Implement “Right-to-Work" Summary: Provides $0.55 raise per hour effective November Summary: Enact private sector “Right-to-Work,” making it 2022 and an increase in longevity for 25-year state difficult for workers to come together in a union to negotiate employees. for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Makes MFPE Position: Support striking or demonstrating a criminal offense. Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading House and Senate MFPE Position: Oppose Status: Signed by Governor Vote(s) Recorded: 2nd Reading House Status: Failed 2nd Reading House HB 15 Fred Anderson (R – Great Falls) HB 279 Seth Berglee (R – Joliet) Short Title: Implement K-12 Inflation Short Title: Revise laws related to tax credit scholarship and Summary: Provides inflationary increases for school funding innovative education programs in both years of 2023 biennium. Summary: Increases the allowable tax credit to student MFPE Position: Support scholarship organizations that fund private, religious k-12 Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading House and Senate Status: Signed by Governor schools from $150 to $200,000, decreasing state general fund revenue over $10.5 million in the next two biennia. Allows wealthy donors and businesses to redirect their entire state HB 46 David Bedey (R – Hamilton) tax obligation to unaccountable and unregulated entities, Short Title: Revise Special Education Funding while depleting state revenues for all other purposes. Summary: Establishes long-awaited annual inflationary MFPE Position: Oppose adjustment for special education funding. Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading House and 3rd Reading as MFPE Position: Support Amended by Senate Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading House and Senate Status: Signed by Governor Status: Signed by Governor HB 102 Seth Berglee (R – Joliet) HB 329 Sue Vinton (R – Billings) Short Title: Generally revise gun laws Short Title: Establish the Students with Special Needs Equal Summary: Allows concealed carry of firearms on college Opportunity Act campuses and in every state/local government office. Summary: Forces public schools to send state and local per- Infringes upon Montana Board of Regents' constitutional pupil funding to private, for-profit, and/or religious programs authority to govern Montana campuses. that do not have to be accredited or even located in Montana. MFPE Position: Oppose Violates Montana Constitution. Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading House, 3rd Reading passed as MFPE Position: Oppose Amended by Senate Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading House, Blast motion in Senate Status: Signed by Governor Status: Tabled in Senate Education Committee, Senate floor motion to place on second reading failed. HB 176 Sharon Greef (R – Florence) Short Title: Close late voter registration on Friday before the HB 588 Casey Knudsen (R – Malta) election Short Title: Revise personal staff limits for executive branch Summary: Eliminates same-day voter registration. Eligible voters could be turned away at the polls and denied their Summary: Allow the Governor to appoint up to 10% of all right to vote. state employees, circumventing the state’s qualification-based MFPE Position: Oppose hiring process. Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading House, 3rd Reading passed as MFPE Position: Oppose Amended by Senate Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading House and Senate Status: Signed by Governor Status: Failed 3rd Reading in Senate Bill Summaries SB 89 Keith Regier (R – Kalispell) SB 387 Brian Hoven (R – Great Falls) Short Title: Revise laws related to collection of union dues Short Title: Generally revise Teachers’ Retirement System Summary: Eliminates public employee union members' Summary: Creates a new tier in the Teachers’ Retirement ability to pay dues out of their paychecks. System with a benefit that would ultimately cost more and MFPE Position: Oppose provides less benefit to members. Vote(s) Recorded: 2nd Reading Senate MFPE Position: Oppose Status: Failed 2nd Reading Senate Vote(s) Recorded: Motion to take bill from Senate State Administration Committee and place on 2nd Reading. SB 159 Greg Hertz (R – Polson) Status: Tabled in Senate Edutcation Short Title: Personal Income Tax Relief Act Summary: Trickle-down economics in Montana. Reduces the state’s top income tax rate. 80% of the reduction will go to Montana’s top 20% of income earners, with minimal reductions for the rest of us. Jeopardizes long-term budget stability of state government and its future ability to pay for quality public programs and services. MFPE Position: Oppose Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading Passed as Amended by House, 3rd Reading Concurred Status: Signed by Governor SB 188 Mike Lang (R – Malta) Short Title: Revise school teacher retirement with pension Summary: Extends the number of years that retired teachers can return to work when districts are not able to find a certified teacher to fill a position. Creates additional unfunded liability for Montana’s Teacher Retirement System (TRS). MFPE Position: Oppose Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading Senate Status: Tabled in House Education SB 228 Greg Hertz (R – Polson) Short Title: Generally revise public employee union laws Summary: Unnecessary state intrusion into the relationship between unions and their members, prevents union members from joining their union for one year. MFPE Position: Oppose Vote(s) Recorded: 2nd Reading Senate Status: Failed 2nd Reading Senate SB 232 Terry Gauthier (R – Helena) Short Title: Revise laws related to highway patrol compensation Summary: Adds police departments in county seats to the survey used to calculate highway patrol compensation, will likely cause an increase in wages. MFPE Position: Support Vote(s) Recorded: 3rd Reading House and Senate Status: Signed by Governor A special thank you to our MFPE Member Legislators Names in bold are new legislators in 2021 Representative Representative Representative Representative Sara Novak (D) Gregory Frazer (R) Moffie Funk (D) Mary Ann Dunwell (D) HD77, Anaconda HD78, Deer Lodge HD82, Helena HD84, Helena MFPE Retired Montana State Prison MFPE Retired MFPE Retired Minority Caucus Chair Representative Representative Representative Marilyn Marler (D) Connie Keogh (D) Willis Curdy (D) Mark Thane (D) HD90, Missoula HD91, Missoula HD98, Missoula HD99, Missoula University of Montana MFPE Retired MFPE Retired MFPE Retired Classified Representative Representative Senate Minority Leader Senator Andrea Olsen (D) Edie McClafferty (D) Jill Cohenour (D) Shannon O’Brien (D) HD100, Missoula SD38, Butte D42, Helena SD46, Missoula MFPE Retired Butte Teachers Union Federation of Public