Legislative Session 2023

For the 2023 Legislative Session, ACLU-MT has seen an onslaught of anti-transgender rights, anti-reproductive justice, and anti-Indigenous rights legislation. All of these bills have one thing in common – they are trying to control our bodies: what they are, what they should be, and how it should function. ACLU of Montana remains committed to stopping these harmful bills and protecting the right to privacy and bodily autonomy.

Learn more about how the Montana Legislature is structured and works here.

2023 Montana Legislature 101

This year, we are tracking 14 individual issue areas in the Legislature. See below which issues members of our Advocacy & Policy Department are monitoring and how to contact them.

Keegan Medrano, Director of Policy and Advocacy - medranok@aclumontana.org
- Indigenous Justice, Voting Rights, LGBTQ Rights, Environmental Justice, Religious Freedom, Free Speech
Maggie Bornstein, Legislative Session Lobbyist - bornsteinm@aclumontana.org
- Criminal Legal Reform, Jail and Prison Conditions, Policing
Robin Turner, Contract Lobbyist
- Immigration, Reproductive Justice, Death Penalty, Aid in dying, Privacy
Sharen Kickingwoman, Organizing Associate Director - kickingwoman@aclumontana.org
- Indigenous Justice, Indian Child Welfare Act (Montana)

Indigenous Justice

The ACLU of Montana is committed to working at the forefront of fighting for Indigenous communities' sovereignty over land, sacred items, names upon places, Indigenous languages, and Indigenous people. To this extent, we work closely with Native legislators, tribal governments, and other Indigenous advocates to advance the interests of Montana's Indigenous communities. Our particular focus in Indigenous Justice work revolves around advocating for reform in school discipline—reducing the usage of exclusionary discipline and increasing use of restorative justice approaches, implementing culturally relevant programming and curriculum, and supporting students with disabilities. In addition, we commit to centering Indigenous Justice throughout all of our legislative work and being in the room wherever decisions about Montana's Indigenous communities are made.

Criminal Legal Reform

The ACLU of Montana approach to Criminal Legal Reform centers the Decriminalization of Poverty. Decriminalization of Poverty is our commitment to ending the policing and criminalization of poverty in our effort to uplift and empower unhoused and low-income community members. We, at the ACLU of Montana, recognize that care, not criminalization will alleviate the misery, trauma, and horror of the criminalization of poverty and that radical, transformative change to how we house, provide medical care, provide criminal defense, welcome back returning community members, and ultimately, how we exist in community is required.

Voting & Democratic Institutions

Given unprecedented attacks on the shape and function of our democracy, the ACLU of Montana is committed to lobbying on issues related to our judicial system, our elections, and other democratic institutions. Throughout this advocacy, we work to champion the voting rights of Montana's most marginalized communities, from Indigenous communities, to incarcerated people, to young people.

LGBTQ Rights

SB99 -

Children And Family Regulation Systems

MICWA requires Montana courts to make active efforts to keep Native families together and to prioritize the placement of Native children within their families and within tribal communities. Nationally, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is at risk of being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court making HB317 even more pressing and important for all Montanans.