Representative Melissa Nicola Cakos introduced House Bill 744 to allow school districts to employ speech‑aids who would work under a licensed speech‑language pathologist for at least 20% supervised time. Cakos framed the bill as a response to severe shortages of licensed speech pathologists that leave many rural schools without timely services.

Lance Melton, representing the Montana School Boards Association and education coalitions, urged support for the bill with an accompanying amendment that would set a temporary statutory standard while the licensing board and the Office of Public Instruction complete rule‑making. “The requirement that there be no license and that there be supervision of a minimum of 20%,” Melton said, “sets a standard for what an aide can do in a public school only.”

Rural superintendents and school‑based SLPs testified that longstanding local practice of aides supervised by SLPs produced student progress and created local job opportunities. The sponsor and several proponents said antique licensing delays and workforce shortages left co‑ops unable to hire licensed assistance and forced districts to reduce services.

Opponents — including the Montana Speech‑Language‑Hearing Association (MASHA) and licensed SLPs — warned the bill as written could lower standards and impose ethical and legal risks on licensed clinicians who supervise unlicensed aides. Jennifer Hensley and Jessica Reynolds, speaking for MASHA and school‑based clinicians respectively, said the profession is in the process of licensing SLP assistants and that the state has begun issuing assistant licenses in January; they urged careful rule‑making, suggested a sunset for any temporary statutory provisions, and emphasized the need for defined education, competency and supervision standards.

Representative Cakos said the bill and a related amendment aim to create a temporary pathway to restore services while the board and OPI complete permanent rules. No final committee vote was recorded that day; the sponsor asked for continued collaboration on amendments and rule language.