The 2025 Legislature adjourned on April 30 after 4 months of hard work for the people of Montana.  Some of the highlights were: Medicaid continuation, Property Tax relief, STARS Act and more funding for public education, funding for conservation through marijuana tax dollars, and maintaining non-partisan election of judges.

Public school teachers came from all over the state to the Capitol to lobby their legislators.  Rep Powers met with teachers from Whitefish and Columbia Falls to talk about how to improve public education for all children in Montana.

Bipartisan work in the legislature is hard…..and necessary.  The Montana House in this legislative session is characterized by respect for each other even when we don’t agree on state policy.  As the minority party with 42% of the House, it is imperative that Democrats work with Republicans to find common ground when possible.

One of the worst anti-public land ideas came to the House in the form of House Resolution 24 to support Utah’s court case to seize control of federal public lands.  Rep Powers spoke on the House floor against this resolution in a speech warning legislators that their constituents were watching.  In recent polls, 87% of Montanans support keeping public lands in public hands.  The resolution was defeated by a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans.

Shortly after returning to Helena after the Transmittal Break, Rep Powers spoke on the House floor in support of funding for river user counts on iconic rivers throughout Montana.  This proposal includes all three branches of the wild-and-scenic Flathead River much of which runs through House District 3.  Having an accurate river user count is important data for river management and preservation.

During the Transmittal Break, Rep Powers attended a Leadership Development meeting sponsored by Montana Conservation Voters and Wild Montana.  The purpose of the meeting was to inspire people to run for political office and get involved in other ways.  Rep Powers spoke to the group about her experiences in the Legislature.

During Transmittal Break, State Senator Dave Fern and State Representative Debo Powers held a Town Hall meeting at the Whitefish Community Center to discuss how the legislative session is going.  The standing-room only crowd asked questions and showed their support for the work being done in Helena.

The Montana Legislature takes a break in the middle of the legislative session called Transmittal Break.  At this point in the session, bills must be transmitted to the other house for them to get passed by the end of the session.  This break is very necessary for legislators because they have been working 12 hour days and are exhausted.

For the only time during the session, Rep Powers had time to drive home from Helena and enjoy skiing in the beautiful North Fork of the Flathead where she lives.

Governor Tim Walz was the inspiring keynote speaker at the annual Mansfield-Metcalf Dinner.  This gathering of Montana Democratic leaders who are dedicated to making Montana a better place is always energizing and inspiring.

Rep Powers’ fourth bill, HB 660, had a hearing in the House Natural Resources Committee.  The bill requires the Department of Environmental Quality to develop a plan for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.