I am honored to serve a third term as the state representative for House District 6 (northwest Kalispell). I write to you during our break between the first and second half of the 69th legislative session, with some very good news. We have sent just under 600 bills to our counterparts in the Senate thus far, so rest assured the legislature has been hard at work. As chair of the House Judiciary Committee and a Majority Whip, I am proud to have stood with fellow Republican leadership and our large majority to pass legislation on the biggest issues facing Montana.
My priorities are set by the hardworking folks in Flathead County who sent me to Helena on their behalf. This session I have focused on two objectives to best address your concerns.
The first objective is pro-family policy. I would like to highlight two very important bills I sponsored which have been transmitted to the senate.
HB 408 requires phones and tablets sold in Montana, manufactured after 2026, to contain a filter software that automatically activates if the device is registered to a minor to protect them from obscene content. Parents and guardians may take legal action against manufacturers that do not comply. Other states have already implemented this law, and manufacturers already have software in place, the bill just requires this software be activated in Montana.
HB 388 expands pregnancy centers’ right of free speech by limiting what actions governments can take to require pregnancy centers engage or not engage in certain activities or speech. We are seeing states and municipalities in some places across the country forcing pregnancy centers to talk to patients about abortion access or medications which they do not offer and may not align with their religious or moral views. This bill is a preventive measure to keep that from happening in our state.
The second is ensuring quality, conservative, legislation makes its way through the House judiciary committee while also giving all bills, including those from the Democrat caucus, a fair hearing. Highlighted below are a few of the great many bills we have passed out of the judiciary committee and been sent to the Senate and align with your priorities.
HB 400 (Mitchell) which establishes the “Free to Speak Act” protecting students, government employees, and government contractors from being forced to use pronouns or names inconsistent with a person’s biological sex.
HB 121 (Seekins-Crowe) which protects women and girls from being forced into sharing state owned bathrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters with biological men who identify as transgender females. This bill is commonsense and yet turned out to be one of the most contentious hearings we’ve had so far.
HB 480 (Ler) which requires constitutional challenges against legislation or legislative actions to be presented in a trial by jury. Currently, bills and legislative actions deemed unconstitutional are ruled on by judges without public participation.
The first half of the session has been an overwhelming success, and I’m confident the next half will be even more positive. I will always stand up for my district by supporting families and principled, conservative legislation. Please contact me with any concerns or suggestions about how I can best represent you.
Amy Regier is a Republican state representative from Kalispell.