This story is excerpted from Capitolized, a twice-weekly newsletter that keeps an eye on the representatives you voted for (or against) with expert reporting, analysis and insight from the editors and reporters of Montana Free Press. Want to see Capitolized in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday? Sign up here.
Senate Bill 458, a bill to define sex based on how a person’s reproductive system functions, passed out of the Senate chamber Friday on a 28-22 vote, despite briefly seeing a much closer margin due to fleeting Republican opposition. Proponents cast the bill as an attempt to clarify the definition of sex in light of public mainstreaming of “gender fluidity, gender transition, gender expression, transgenderism,” as the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, argued during a Thursday floor debate. Opponents say the bill would strip legal recognition from transgender people and many people with intersex conditions, linking it to a continued tide of anti-trans and LGBTQ+ bills nationwide. It will now proceed to the House.

latest stories
Helena judge dismisses Zephyr lawsuit
A Helena district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Legislature’s censure of Democratic Missoula Rep. Zooey Zephyr during the final days of the 2023 legislative session.
Broadwater County Attorney announces candidacy for Montana Supreme Court
Broadwater County Attorney Cory Swanson has announced his candidacy for a seat on the Montana Supreme Court, setting up a contest between Swanson and former federal magistrate court judge Jerry Lynch for the court’s chief justiceship.
‘Many unknowns’ as Lake County pulls out of decades-old tribal law enforcement agreement
The Lake County Commission sent a letter to Gov. Greg Gianforte informing him that the local sheriff’s office and criminal justice system would no longer handle felony law enforcement on the reservation. The agreement between the state and tribe is one-of-a-kind in Montana.