2023 Legislative Victories
While Montana’s 2023 legislative session presented significant challenges in advancing public policies to support children and families, Montana Advocates for Children (MAC) saw success with three key pieces of legislation to expand access to child care, support child care small businesses, and protect the health and safety of children enrolled in child care. MAC successfully advanced legislation to provide for a historic investment in expanding access to child care for Montana families and to expand flexibility for current and potential child care business owners to provide in-home care.
House Bill (HB) 648, which provides $14 million over two years in state investment to bolster and improve the state’s child care subsidy program, was MAC’s top policy priority during the legislative session. HB 648 expands eligibility to cover an additional 1,500 children, caps copay levels for 3,000 families on lower incomes, and stabilizes reimbursement payments for roughly 800 child care businesses. HB 648 passed the legislature and was signed into law in 2023, and families are seeing the benefit of lower copays and higher eligibility levels.
HB 187 reformed Home Owner Association laws to expand flexibility for current and potential small business owners to provide in-home child care, help Montana families access affordable childcare close to home, and strengthen community bonds within neighborhoods. HB 187 passed and was signed into law in 2023.
Senate Bill (SB) 450 would have required that child care providers accept religious or conscience exemptions to immunizations, and would have allowed parents to seek compensatory damages, costs, and attorney fees from providers refusing to accept unvaccinated children. MAC opposed this bill which failed to pass the Montana House Judiciary Committee.
MAC members leverage their individual and collective strengths to support membership engagement, grasstops outreach and education, policy development, strategic communications, and grassroots mobilization. Throughout the 2023 legislative session, MAC members leveraged their own membership, relationships with parents and providers, and connections with community leaders to help elevate the importance of child care for policymakers. Click here to join us!
