[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6304010,"mediaKeyId","2469376-93b4874a9c7ca7c0c48cb51b47a3acea","parentId",2469376,"title","Montana hearing: bill would let 9–10 month school employees apply for summer unemployment; committee tables measure","audioSeconds",8123,"startMs",336000,"endMs",8459000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2469376-93b4874a9c7ca7c0c48cb51b47a3acea&start=336&end=8459","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2469376-93b4874a9c7ca7c0c48cb51b47a3acea/thumbnail_336000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6304010/Montana/Montana-hearing-bill-would-let-910-month-school-employees-apply-for-summer-unemployment-committee-tables-measure","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6304010-db7b909d7d99365038858c5d81f1e667/orig.mp4?Expires=1771132644&Signature=js8Z5lh8hNWj3msDm9WE8Orc0i4A3R10lENGLNCM2Po0g4SHZU33j0bOwlOnj3vVtSvGQmhaOwr216ZbXnIdPJzzlvVosfTSpQ-s2-E8gy5iQCLpzHfvRFoZ0yNVOufE8XoN8EMIhmrvASNujMcx-YCwiIkcmSNCfdbcqkA4gqDWoJDtbzANhkf9umVR0eFl2370jGLbwzper~g8ns5geGpMNQrx4U4KWGQLf0~tyI2NIHvsCZDwvO1MQKRB8L0pNzznXzCkkncds5kfCvR3FwodVtwbM7cuYuGLZvAaHPSqd3nEblJDdSiiB5341EQpzoV3w4thlQP~YLTcaFhWUQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montana Legislature","date","2025-03-01T00:00:00Z","article","House State Administration Committee members heard testimony on House Bill 812 on March 1, 2025, a measure from Rep. Denise Joy that would allow certain nonprofessional educational employees who work nine or ten months to apply for unemployment benefits during scheduled school breaks.

Supporters told the committee the change would reduce turnover among low‑paid classified staff who often work summer months without pay, while the Department of Labor and Industry and school finance groups warned the additional claims could materially draw down Montana's unemployment insurance trust.

Representative Denise Joy, the bill sponsor, told the committee she is a nine‑month school employee and framed the measure as a retention tool: \"HB 12, 8 12 is legislation that solves a problem,\" she said, describing how many classified employees lose income during the roughly 60 summer days when school is not in session and therefore struggle to remain in education careers.

Quint Nyman, deputy executive director of the Montana Federation of Public Employees, said classified workers' positions — cooks, custodians, paraprofessionals, bus drivers and aides — are among the lowest paid in the state and face gaps in income during the summer. \"HB 1 8 12 provides classified school employees in Montana with the opportunity to apply for unemployment insurance during summer breaks,\" he said, adding that prior changes and private‑contractor differences have created disparate treatment.

Lance Melton, representing the Montana School Boards Association and other K‑12 groups, expressed reluctant opposition and raised legal and fiscal concerns. Melton pointed to a statutory requirement that new obligations imposed on schools must identify a funding mechanism and said the bill as drafted contains a technical drafting flaw that could make it ineffective without a funding source. He warned that in other states the cost to school systems and to the unemployment trust escalated rapidly after similar changes.

Sarah Swanson, commissioner of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, provided fiscal projections for the committee. Using Montana's current unemployment rules and a set of assumptions provided to the panel, she projected that allowing classified employees to file could cost the unemployment trust roughly $22.25 million in fiscal 2026 under a 65% take‑rate assumption and as much as about $32.0 million under a 75% take‑rate assumption. Swanson noted the state's unemployment trust was currently well‑funded but that roughly a $25 million draw would likely trigger higher employer tax rates under the department's rate schedule.

Committee members questioned whether districts already provide reasonable assurance of continued employment (a mechanism that can make employees eligible now) and how many employees would be affected. Witnesses estimated roughly 13,000 full‑time‑equivalent classified school positions statewide and said MFPE represented approximately 5,000 classified employees in schools and the university system.

Representative Joy closed by urging the committee to consider the quality‑of‑education and equity arguments: \"We are the people who change the diapers. We're the people who get somebody on a bus. We're the ones who lift them out of wheelchairs,\" she said, asking members to weigh the classroom impact of losing experienced classified staff.

During the committee's executive action session the substitute motion to table House Bill 812 passed on a roll call vote (11 ayes, 8 noes), effectively pausing further action in the House State Administration Committee.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Substitute motion to table House Bill 812 (mover: Rep. Tillman). Outcome: Passed (11 ayes, 8 noes).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House State Administration 2025-03-01","oneSentenceSummary","House State Administration Committee members heard testimony on House Bill 812 on March 1, 2025, a measure from Rep. Denise Joy that would allow certain nonprofessional educational employees who work nine or ten months to apply for unemployment benefits during scheduled school breaks.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MT, Montana","taxId",77694,"location","Montana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6304001,"Committee advances ban on foreign funding for statewide ballot measures after contentious hearing",4167,4513000,8680000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2469376-93b4874a9c7ca7c0c48cb51b47a3acea&start=4513&end=8680","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2469376-93b4874a9c7ca7c0c48cb51b47a3acea/thumbnail_4513000.jpg","/articles/6304001/Montana/Committee-advances-ban-on-foreign-funding-for-statewide-ballot-measures-after-contentious-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6304001-e7312edbc0959d643107d561479b99a1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771132644&Signature=HIUWQ~v6IoYfP8zrriF80dcaGpNBzVhFy0iS1AxUKxgOx24hXx5vo7nlEKlUcs8Pe7DHcQPX6rWEXdBb9-PSia8WAZzuPi9wkuA-U-RepmmAgdw0J3v8UEFMTI0u3axXuKqTSKkjPqV0Ui3~OpktcebLioIGysQUCB7gd8TVimLNo0MlypnyVNOAPQVBHkQIjt292MmA59foRXR-27JGjHziEDu0HthzGo3rFvvnJeMfPMeOwlVJalkOTFM86hfDEiO4jjfaiUoaQTgaw1Bn2Fz93He26~LI7OJSV-LPn9s4f6nzz8s2CBysQesQTQ3CMc4VKMVKz2-zBu28w7Ev7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Braxton Mitchell introduced House Bill 818 on March 1, 2025, a measure that would prohibit foreign nationals from funding efforts to influence statewide ballot initiatives in Montana.

Supporters told the House State Administration Committee the bill fills a gap in Montana law by applying the same ban on foreign contributions that already exists for candidate elections to statewide ballot measures. Opponents — including nonprofit groups and tribal representatives — said the bill would expand investigatory authority, carry severe penalties, and risk chilling lawful nonprofit advocacy and donor privacy.

\"House Bill 8 18 is a straightforward bill,\" sponsor Representative Braxton Mitchell said in opening remarks, saying the bill would \"prevent foreign nationals from funding efforts to influence our statewide ballot initiatives directly or indirectly.\" He cited other states that prohibit foreign money in ballot campaigns and framed the measure as protecting Montana's self‑governance.

Austin James, representing the Secretary of State's office, said foreign nationals are already prohibited from donating to candidates under Montana law and that adding statewide ballot issues to that prohibition is a logical extension: \"The same common sense prohibition should also apply to a state ballot issue,\" he said.

Proponents from national and state groups detailed a pattern of large out‑of‑state spending in ballot measure campaigns. Witnesses named an organization (the 16 30 Fund) and referenced a foreign donor base alleged to have funded hundreds of millions nationally and several million in Montana ballot measure activity.

Opponents warned the bill's drafting would expand the statute's reach beyond statewide ballot measures, sweeping in local ballot issues and electioneering communications and creating mandatory investigatory duties. Nikki Zupanik, testifying on behalf of a coalition of groups, said the bill creates overlapping provisions and would require a county attorney or the Commissioner of Political Practices to investigate any notarized complaint — a process she argued could invite frivolous complaints and divert resources.

Tribal and nonprofit witnesses also argued the measure posed risks to direct democracy and to charities that lawfully engage in ballot issue advocacy. The Montana Nonprofit Association said compelled donor disclosure or harsh penalties could chill charitable giving and nonprofit participation.

Shelly Hendrickson Scott of the Commissioner of Political Practices told the committee COPP currently investigates notarized, jurisdictional complaints but that researching whether an entity is a foreign national would be new work for the office. She said COPP could dismiss frivolous complaints under existing administrative rules but that additional workload was possible.

Committee members debated scope and enforcement. Some members pressed that the underlying policy — preventing foreign interference in citizen initiatives — is important; others cautioned the bill as drafted would sweep more broadly than proponents intend and urged more narrowly tailored language.

During executive action the committee voted to report House Bill 818 out of committee with a do‑pass recommendation (11 ayes, 8 noes).","Representative Braxton Mitchell introduced House Bill 818 on March 1, 2025, a measure that would prohibit foreign nationals from funding efforts to influence statewide ballot initiatives in Montana.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6304006,"Committee hears bill to standardize school elections under county administrators; measure tabled",5733,2817000,8550000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2469376-93b4874a9c7ca7c0c48cb51b47a3acea&start=2817&end=8550","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2469376-93b4874a9c7ca7c0c48cb51b47a3acea/thumbnail_2817000.jpg","/articles/6304006/Montana/Committee-hears-bill-to-standardize-school-elections-under-county-administrators-measure-tabled","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6304006-2923aafd14a5c21d59408b5139384bc9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771132644&Signature=Wd1MJy95c2lTl~T9h9wH7f8yasE50VIu8H9RwB1THJvfXx-8fsGecF3uGefPbsuRioC488BBYIDsRykD3Xot18YtuanaPcm4PjREATMnDtBxrg0tlL53IOOz~1Vp4RFGfKzJqSi~OMoiqj9CtdkQBGb2hlqAQQ30Srhm1O4BJLdwggD10uuiHJbGgNAT2APlyXQZWP6152S6BnIllE5z2eu0WaeB1T5v6FnbXyoCprIPfRKiyRgVIQkh3Eb3Uvua7spsvj~VUujojOLmq60fa0yd4C2bOzLjZwiIduewbgwGnr3BGZBRAu0C-0qGmAFFTnb1iRSAN3KNkOTkp11WmA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Fiona Nave introduced House Bill 815 on March 1, 2025, proposing that county election administrators administer all school elections in Montana rather than permitting school districts in some counties to run their own contests.

Sponsor Nave framed the bill as a standardization and integrity measure: the county election administrator has professional experience and consistent procedures to administer elections statewide. The bill would direct counties and school districts to plan a transition and report back to the legislature, with an implementation target of mid‑2029.

\"This bill is actually pretty simple,\" Nave said in opening remarks, urging standardization so that \"we always know that our school elections are conducted with the same level of fidelity and integrity\" as other county elections.

Nicole Thuot of the Office of Public Instruction told the committee the issue had been studied previously (SJR 14) and that about half of Montana's school districts currently run their own elections. Thuot and Bradley Seaman, Missoula County elections administrator speaking for the Montana Association of Clerk and Recorders and Election Administrators, said counties and school districts already coordinate in many places and that counties generally bill districts at actual cost when they run the election.

Seaman described how Missoula County allocates shared election costs proportionally and said counties typically use trained election judges. OPI staff said school districts are subject to the same judge‑training requirements as counties; OPI also noted a process exists to challenge improperly run school elections.

Committee members raised practical concerns about logistics in large, rural counties and the absence of a formal appropriation in the bill. Sponsor Nave said the bill allows time for local planning and negotiation of costs; she recommended counties and districts work together during the transition period and return to the legislature for funding adjustments if needed.

At executive action the committee voted to table House Bill 815 (13 ayes, 6 noes).","Representative Fiona Nave proposed House Bill 815 to require county election administrators to run all school elections, aiming for uniformity. County election officials and OPI testified; committee later tabled the bill during executive action.","actionData","errors"]

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Montana hearing: bill would let 9–10 month school employees apply for summer unemployment; committee tables measure

Committee advances ban on foreign funding for statewide ballot measures after contentious hearing

Committee hears bill to standardize school elections under county administrators; measure tabled