5 New Laws You May Not Know About in Montana Since July

Since July of 2023 in Montana, over 100 new laws have gone into effect across the state.  Some of those many of us will never have need to know about.  Regulations to our own government, or maybe a subsidy set aside for one thing or another.

But have you really dug into them to see which would affect you?  One that might get you into hot water at work, or even just driving there.

Legal Jargon Abounds When It Comes to Government and Bills or Laws

As mentioned, many of these new laws won't probably affect you.  For instance, a new law enacted states:

• House Bill 569 puts $26.8 million from the general fund to the sheriff’s retirement system and another $41.2 million to the retirement system for game wardens and peace officers, in addition to revising contributions for those systems and the judges’ and highway patrol’s retirement system.

Not necessarily directly affecting you, but still a law you may want to consider in your taxes.

Many of the new laws that went into effect just two months ago deal with our schooling system and the students within those walls.  Even parents were acknowledged throughout this past legislative session.

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5 Of Those Laws That Will Be Hitting Closer to Home for Many

Keeping our children protected, well educated, and able to participate in extracurricular activities seemed to be at the forefront of our legislature.

Here are 5 key laws that went into effect on July 1st of 2023.

1. House Bill 393 would approve the development of a special needs education savings account within the Office of Public Instruction that would cover education expenses such as tuition, textbooks and software specifically for special needs students.
2. House Bill 549 allows for the formation of charter schools, with an opportunity for involvement from the local school board. The law also holds the schools accountable to existing education and licensure laws and rules. Another bill to allow for charter schools, House Bill 562, also allows for the formation of such schools and is the subject of a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality filed in mid-June. It creates a separate commission to validate charter schools and does not hold them accountable to existing laws around licensure to the same degree as the other law.
3. House Bill 588 makes clarifications to the TEACH Act, which is used to aid in the recruitment of new teachers in Montana and increases eligibility for the program. It’s estimated to cost about $210,000 a year starting in the 2025 fiscal year.
4. House Bill 745 allows the use of religious books during free reading time and for self-selected reading requirements and expands and clarifies the authorization of prayer in schools.
5. House Bill 450 allows students to use “reasonable and necessary physical force” in response to a physical attack by another student.