Lawmakers to DPHHS: birth certificate emergency rule is ‘anti-democratic and insulting to Montanans.’
Democrats on a state Legislature interim committee published a letter Thursday urging the Department of Public Health and Human Services to rescind an emergency rule it enacted this week that prevents transgender Montanans from updating the sex on their birth certificates, arguing that the process of creating the rule was “anti-democratic and insulting to Montanans.”
Latest Government Reporting
State health department blocks birth certificate changes for transgender people
Through an emergency rule issued Monday, Montana’s public health department has eliminated nearly all options for transgender people to update their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity.
New workgroup is paving the way for more election legislation in 2023
The Montana Association of Counties is facilitating a new bipartisan workgroup of state lawmakers, county officials and election authorities to push past election integrity rhetoric and develop “practical” improvements to the state’s election system, from voter confidence to the safety of election workers.
MFPE and Daily Montanan sue state education board
The debate over educational equity continues as a new lawsuit by the Montana Federation of Public Employees and the Daily Montanan alleges that the Board of Public Education violated the state Constitution in rescinding changes to the teacher code of ethics.
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Gianforte talks bipartisanship
Speaking to a crowd of 120 people at the University of Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte reflected on his past experiences with bipartisanship, reaffirmed his commitment to core principles, and expressed willingness to field input from all quarters.
Bob Campbell’s constitutional legacy
Tributes poured in Wednesday for Bob Campbell, who as a delegate to the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention wrote the document’s provisions for the right to privacy and the right to a clean and healthful environment. Campbell died Tuesday night in Missoula. He was 81 and died of natural causes after suffering from dementia.
The Montana Constitution, up close and personal
When 100 delegates gathered in 1972 to create a new Constitution for Montana, reporter Chuck Johnson had a front-row seat to history in the making. Here’s his recollection of that Montana milestone — and what it’s meant for the state in the half-century since — in Chuck’s own words.
How the Montana Constitution shapes the state’s environmental landscape
Legal scholars, environmental activists and practicing attorneys say a handful of forward-looking provisions in the Montana Constitution drafted by delegates 50 years ago have secured some of the strongest environmental protections and most progressive stream access laws in the country. Cases decided by the Montana Supreme Court in 1984, 1999, 2011 and 2014 have been…
Montana’s long road to make good on Indian Education for All
In 1972, tribal activists and Constitutional Convention delegates claimed space for Indigenous cultural integrity in the new state Constitution’s article on education. Half a century later, court battles and curriculum development have delivered scattered progress, but the fight to integrate Indian Education for All in public schools continues.
Fifty years later, is Montana’s ‘Right To Know’ working?
In debating and drafting the new version of Montana’s constitution, delegates tried to fill a serious gap that existed before. Situated within Article 2, Section 9, there now exists a tool to guard against government opacity.
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MORE GOVERNMENT REPORTING
As it turns 50, is Montana’s ‘progressive’ state Constitution facing a conservative midlife crisis?
On March 22, 1972, all 100 delegates to the Montana Constitutional Convention gathered at the Capitol in Helena to sign off on a new state Constitution they’d just spent months researching, debating, negotiating and writing — and which would be ratified by voters on June 6 of that year. In observance of the 50th anniversary…
Private attorney takes leading role in attorney general’s litigation
The Montana Department of Justice has signed a $120,000 contract with Billings lawyer Emily Jones for help managing its docket of civil lawsuits.
Jacobsen says new election system ‘not ready’
Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen delayed the launch of a new statewide election system Monday, stating the software is “not ready.” The decision reflects concerns voiced repeatedly this fall by county election officials.
Teacher licensing changes cue up concerns
As the Montana Office of Public Instruction prepares to launch a new online educator licensing system next June, its old system is going dark. That’s raised a lot of questions for teachers and education advocates about how the agency will continue handling license applications in the coming months.
With employees working remotely, Office of Public Instruction consolidates
A “For Lease” sign outside one of OPI’s Helena offices signals the agency’s continued accommodation of telework. It also sheds light on one of the long-term impacts of the pandemic on state government — its changing workspace needs.
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