Our 2025 Montana Legislative Session: Your Guide to Being Involved
By Beth Madden
January 6, 2025 will kick off the 69th session of the Montana Legislature. Did you know that Montana is one of only ten states that have citizen legislatures? That means that our legislature is made up of citizens that have other jobs rather than simply being politicians. Most states have professional legislatures – they meet full-time, pay members a salary, and employ staff. In contrast, citizen legislatures meet only part-time, have members that have other jobs, and have smaller staffs.
This is why our citizen legislators especially need our input. During the fast-moving, 90-day session, they must work hard to understand the implications of dozens of new bills at a time. They can’t be instant experts in all issues, and information from their constituents and lobbyists help them gauge important aspects of proposed legislation.
For many Sacajawea Audubon Society members, conservation issues are vital. Please consider making your voice heard on issues that are dear to you this session. It is important, and easier than ever, to be informed and share your expertise and opinions with our legislators as they study important bills. Luckily, many of our statewide conservation groups are actively involved in the legislature, and they provide email “Action Alerts” as bills arise, with a synthesis of the issues and how best to comment. Sign up to receive these legislative alerts and most of the work will be done for you!
Here is a sample of some of the most engaged statewide conservation groups – they welcome our participation, so sign up for action alerts today. You don’t have to be a member. (Of course, many other groups will be focusing on education, healthcare, human rights, and more – track what interests you.)
Montana Audubon – join their network for legislative alerts: https://mtaudubon.org/conservation-policy/action-alert/
Montana Environmental Information Council (MEIC) – sign up for action alerts: https://meic.org/take-action/
Northern Plains Resource Council (NPRC) – sign up for weekly legislative bulletins, with action alerts (at bottom of this page) https://northernplains.org/legislature/
Montana Wildlife Federation (MWF) – sign up for action emails at the very bottom of the homepage: https://montanawildlife.org/
Weary of sending emails? You can easily call and leave messages on bills though the switchboard at the Capital: 406-444-4800 (add this to your phone contacts). Once you give your name, home address, and phone number, you will be in their system and can call repeatedly and quickly leave messages on bills. You can leave a phone message for up to five legislators at a time or for an entire committee, which is very handy.
One bright spot this session is that there will not be a supermajority of one party, so everyone will have a more equitable seat at the table. In order for bills to move forward and be successful, it will be necessary to have more healthy discourse and compromise than what we saw in the last session, when a supermajority of one party ruled.
Like following a favorite sports team, it can be fun to nerd out during the session and closely follow the progress of bills that interest you. The Legislature’s Bill Explorer https://bills.legmt.gov/puts all that at your fingertips – results of hearings, how committee members or individuals voted on a bill – it is all there. Get involved in the process. Explore all this and more at https://www.legmt.gov/. It’s no doubt going to be a long winter!
