Brandon Ler

The first week of the 2025 Legislature gets off to a contentious start. Gov. Gianforte invites Elon Musk to Montana. Legislative leaders plan to revive efforts to change the judiciary. Newly sworn-in Senator Tim Sheehy is wasting no time making a splash. Retiring Congressman Matt Rosendale makes a quiet exit.

Montana lawmakers convened in Helena Monday for day one of the 69th Legislature. While swearing in to office, legislative leaders talked about their priorities for the next 90 days of policymaking.

Just a week after the election, 150 representatives and senators from around the state descended on Helena to begin legislator orientation and choose their leaders.

A statewide ban on TikTok is headed to the governor’s desk for consideration. Lawmakers in favor of the bill said they were concerned about TikTok, the popular video sharing app, providing user data to the Chinese government.

A bill that would prohibit local governments from putting a cap on the cost of rent passed the House of Representatives on a vote of 66-27 Thursday.

A policy that would change unlawful discrimination practices to exclude students’ misgendering or calling a classmate by their legal name, has passed through its final hearing in Montana’s House of Representatives.

House Bill 356 would prohibit state entities from contracting with companies that have adopted policies that limit dealings with the firearms industry.

This week, lawmakers are starting to piece together the biggest part of the state budget, and worldviews about LGBTQ rights are colliding over rules for public schools. Listen now on The Session.

Bills affecting transgender Montanans draw emotional debate. Scientific theories are targeted for elimination from public education. And Senator Daines battles Twitter and "San Francisco elites."

Teachers could no longer discipline students for misgendering their classmates under a policy now up for debate in the Montana House of Representatives.