{"id":127550,"date":"2025-03-18T11:22:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T16:22:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=127550"},"modified":"2025-03-18T11:24:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T16:24:13","slug":"montana-free-press-indian-lawmakers-tout-legislative-successes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/03\/18\/montana-free-press-indian-lawmakers-tout-legislative-successes\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana Free Press: Indian lawmakers tout legislative successes"},"content":{"rendered":" \"Montana<\/a>
The American Indian Caucus in the 2025 Montana Legislature includes, in the top row, left to right, Director Lance Four Star, Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, Rep. Mike Fox, Rep. Donavon Hawk, Rep. Tyson Running Wolf, Sen. Jacinda Morigeau, Rep. Frank Smith, and Rep. Sidney \u201cChip\u201d Fitzpatrick. In the bottom row, left to right, are Rep. Jade Sooktis, Sen. Susan Webber, Rep. Jade Crowe and Sen. Shane Morigeau. Not pictured is Rep. Shelly Fyant. Courtesy photo<\/figcaption>\r\n
American Indian Caucus touts success at Legislature\u2019s halfway point<\/div>\r\n
Members of Montana\u2019s American Indian Caucus say they have been able to advance priority bills.<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, March 18, 2025<\/div>\r\n
<\/div>\r\n
Montana Free Press<\/DIV>\r\n
montanafreepress.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

After a decade of failed attempts, members of Montana\u2019s American Indian Caucus were stunned when a bill establishing Indigenous Peoples Day<\/a> as a legal state holiday flew through the Senate with bipartisan support, clearing the chamber last month. <\/p>

The initial success of the legislation, which faced significant criticism last session, is indicative of a larger pattern. At this legislative session\u2019s halfway point, members of the American Indian Caucus say they\u2019re generally having more success this year when it comes to advancing their priority bills. <\/p>

The American Indian Caucus<\/a> is an informal group of about a dozen Native American state lawmakers who work together to advance legislation they say is good for Indian Country, guided by the principle that what\u2019s good for Indian Country is good for Montana as a whole. In the Republican-dominated Legislature, the mostly Democratic caucus operates as a minority within a minority. The group, then, must earn bipartisan support to advance priority bills or kill legislation they say is harmful. Caucus leaders say they prioritize relationship building and pride themselves on their ability to work across the aisle. <\/p>

Though tribes are sovereign entities with a unique government-to-government relationship with the United States, state laws have tremendous influence on Indian Country. Sen. Susan Webber, D-Browning<\/a>, said while some of her constituents have celebrated the caucus\u2019 recent wins, many across Indian Country remain unengaged in state politics. <\/p>

\u201cWe pay more attention to the federal government than we do the state government, but in reality, the federal government has been moving their trust responsibility over to the states,\u201d she said in a recent interview. <\/p>

Responding to criticism from last session, Sen. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula,<\/a> revised the Indigenous Peoples Day legislation, this time allowing Montanans to celebrate both Indigenous Peoples Day and Columbus Day. Morigeau also emphasized inclusivity in his remarks to lawmakers<\/a>, saying the holiday is meant to celebrate all Montanans. Those changes in approach, he told MTFP, likely contributed to the bill\u2019s advancement.  <\/p>

Senate Bill 311<\/a>, to enhance lawmakers\u2019 understanding of tribal issues, also cleared the Senate. It\u2019s another one of Morigeau\u2019s bills that failed last session and has made significant progress this year.<\/p>

Bills brought by Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder,<\/a> that would extend the Montana Indian Child Welfare Act<\/a>, improve accountability in  the constitutionally mandated Indian Education for All<\/a> laws and bolster the Montana Indian Language Preservation<\/a> program have all advanced out of the Senate. <\/p>

Windy Boy said that House Bill 2<\/a>, which determines most of the state\u2019s budget, includes an increased appropriation for tribal colleges and funding to support repatriation efforts, though that legislation remains under consideration. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, often called NAGPRA, is a federal law that created a process for tribes to request the return of Native remains and cultural items from institutions. Universities and other institutions in Montana have worked to return those items, but Windy Boy, who also serves as the tribal historic preservation officer for the Chippewa Cree Tribe, said institutions often lack the resources to do so in a timely manner. The proposed appropriation of about $360,000 would cover the salaries and operational costs for a team at the University of Montana working to do just that. <\/p>

Brought by Rep. Tyson Running Wolf, D-Browning<\/a> and chair of the American Indian Caucus, House Bill 83<\/a> to enhance the Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force was the first of the caucus priority bills to become law, signed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte on February 27. Another bill brought by Running Wolf, House Bill 545<\/a> to rename the task force the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Advisory Council and add a homicide investigator, has cleared the House. And Senate Bill 107<\/a>, brought by Webber to provide human trafficking education in schools, advanced out of the Senate. <\/p>

Montana\u2019s American Indian Caucus notched another win when House Bill 216<\/a>, allowing some landowners to hunt on the Flathead Reservation, failed. The legislation drew sharp criticism from tribes, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and other organizations that argued it violated treaty rights and threatened tribal sovereignty. <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Running Wolf said he was happy to see a bill voted down that would\u2019ve prohibited state support<\/a> for diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He was also surprised to see the advancement of a bill continuing Montana\u2019s Medicaid expansion<\/a>. The GOP-sponsored legislation would remove the sunset date on Montana\u2019s Medicaid expansion program, which covers health care costs for low-income adults ages 18 to 65. While Medicaid expansion was expected to be contentious this session, House Bill 245<\/a> sailed through the House and Senate and awaits Gianforte\u2019s signature<\/a>. <\/p>

\u201cThat gives me hope,\u201d Running Wolf said. <\/p>

Several caucus members said they attribute their initial success to the makeup of the Legislature this year. While Republicans held a supermajority last session, this year margins are slimmer. Republicans now have 32 of 50<\/a> seats in the Senate and 58 of 100<\/a> seats in the House. <\/p>

Party infighting, caucus members said, has also contributed to some of their early achievements. Chaos has plagued<\/a> the Senate, with former Senate President Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton<\/a>, and current Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell,<\/a> at the center of two scandals<\/a>. After a dispute regarding committee assignments, a group of nine moderate Republican senators have been voting with Democrats on some issues, at times to the benefit of American Indian Caucus priorities. <\/p>

Where in past years, caucus members may have had to be strategic on when to ask for moderate Republicans\u2019 support, Webber said this year the relationship is different.<\/p>

\u201cNow, we just go up to them and say we need them,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it goes both ways. We\u2019re able to help get their bills across the finish line, too.\u201d<\/p>

Republican infighting, Running Wolf said, has meant that more lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have been approaching caucus members for support. <\/p>

While fissures within the Republican caucus have helped advance some American Indian Caucus priority bills, Morigeau said several harmful bills \u2014 like legislation aimed at altering the judiciary<\/a> and expanding wolf hunting<\/a> \u2014 remain in play. He and other caucus members argue legislation that would reduce the wolf population could interfere with state-tribal collaborative management efforts. Bills that politicize courts, he said, \u201cerode their core function, to be blind and impartial.\u201d<\/p>

Running Wolf said the caucus is watching several bills it fears could harm Indian Country. He said House Bill 179<\/a> to revise election laws as they relate to inactive voters, House Bill 807<\/a> to prevent certain vaccine requirements, and House Bill 623<\/a> to revise nuclear energy laws, would have disparate, negative consequences for tribal communities.<\/p>

With the Legislature set to reconvene in the coming days, Webber and other caucus members say they hope to see more engagement from Indian Country during the second half of the legislative session.  <\/p>

\u201cPeople haven\u2019t realized that they have a voice and that their voice is powerful,\u201d she said. \u201cThey can really affect what\u2019s happening in the state. We haven\u2019t totally done that yet. \u2026 That\u2019s why we go to Helena \u2014 to make sure that we are heard, that the tribal peoples are heard.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\t

<\/p>\r\nNote: This story originally appeared on Montana Free Press<\/a>. It is published under a Creative Commons license<\/a>.<\/strong>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Members of Montana\u2019s American Indian Caucus say they have been able to advance priority bills in the state legislature.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":127558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,11,20,13,1,14],"tags":[1008,430,94,454,763,86,603,1577,175,387,197,249,194,794,55,85,637,220,5339,154,1576,177],"class_list":["post-127550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-environment","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-chippewa-cree","tag-cskt","tag-democrats","tag-grants","tag-greg-gianforte","tag-icwa","tag-indigenous-peoples-day","tag-jonathan-windy-boy","tag-languages","tag-medicaid","tag-mmiw","tag-montana","tag-montana-free-press","tag-nagpra","tag-native-vote","tag-republicans","tag-shane-morigeau","tag-sovereignty","tag-susan-webber","tag-treaties","tag-tyson-running-wolf","tag-voting-rights","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/18\/montanaamericanindiancaucus.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-xbg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127550"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127561,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127550\/revisions\/127561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}