Missoula, MT – With the Montana Legislature’s transmittal deadline just over a week away, legislative committees are ramping up their efforts to ensure key bills remain alive. Among the busiest is the House Judiciary Committee, which has been meeting as early as 7 a.m. this week to hear and vote on a heavy agenda of bills.
On Tuesday, the committee heard public testimony and voted on several pieces of proposed legislation, including House Bill 555, sponsored by Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, R-Billings. This bill seeks to impose stricter regulations on the use of medication abortions, particularly mifepristone, by requiring providers to conduct in-person consultations before administering the drug.
The bill would also create a new stipulation that providers could not offer the medication if it affects interstate commerce. This provision is a direct response to the Biden administration’s removal of the in-person requirement for mifepristone distribution, which allowed the medication to be prescribed via telehealth and sent through the mail.
Seekins-Crowe’s bill also introduces a controversial environmental element, threatening manufacturers of abortion medications with fines if chemical byproducts from these drugs are detected in Montana’s wastewater systems. Seekins-Crowe framed the bill as an environmental measure aimed at ensuring the safety of both patients and the state’s natural resources.
“We do need to take a look at this,” said Seekins-Crowe during the hearing. “We need to be concerned about not just patient safety, but also about our clean and healthful environment.”
However, opponents of the bill argue that it is a thinly veiled attempt to restrict access to abortion. Kelsen Young, executive director of the Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, criticized the bill, claiming it was part of a larger effort to undermine women’s reproductive rights in Montana. “This is about controlling women and their reproductive access,” Young said, referencing Montana voters’ decision to protect abortion rights through a state constitutional amendment.
The issue of medication abortion is particularly significant as reports suggest that such abortions now account for 63% of all abortions nationwide.
Seekins-Crowe is also sponsoring House Bill 609, which would criminalize “abortion trafficking”—the act of facilitating or assisting someone in traveling out of state to obtain an abortion that is illegal in Montana. The bill carries potential penalties of up to five years in prison and a $1,000 fine for those convicted.
In addition to abortion-related legislation, the committee has been considering other proposals, including House Bill 578, introduced by Rep. Bill Mercer, R-Billings. This bill would eliminate a provision allowing judges to consider an offender’s financial ability when determining restitution payments to victims. Mercer argued that restitution should be based solely on the crime and not an offender’s financial circumstances. Opponents, however, warned that this could lead to situations where offenders are unable to pay and are subsequently incarcerated again.
Another bill, House Bill 582, would make it harder for inmates to earn sentence reductions for time already served. Currently, some inmates who reoffend while in prison do not receive additional time because their new sentence is covered by the time already served. Proponents of the bill argue that this creates a loophole, allowing some individuals to avoid the consequences of their new crimes.
The House Judiciary Committee has a packed agenda with 33 bills scheduled for hearings over the next three days. Committee leaders have warned that additional meetings may be necessary on Saturday to ensure all the bills are properly addressed before the transmittal deadline.
As the legislature moves toward this critical juncture, it remains clear that this year’s session will have significant implications for Montana’s legal landscape, particularly in areas of reproductive rights and criminal justice reform.
