News & Commentary

"Too many people in Montana with mental health or substance use disorders do not have access to the care they so desperately need. This lack of access to care harms both individuals and our communities because it results in too many people needlessly being pushed into homelessness or the criminal justice system.  As a first step, the state should study the current system of services for treatment of substance use and mental health disorders so that we have a good starting point for creating a healthier and more vibrant Montana. The ACLU of Montana supports HJ 9." SK Rossi, ACLU of Montana Advocacy and Policy Director

"The proposals to prohibit localities from establishing laws creating sanctuary cities are an answer in search of a nonexistent problem.  They are a scare tactic implying that there will be no immigration enforcement in jurisdictions that divert scarce local resources into federal immigration enforcement.  They are an extension of President Trump’s push for draconian anti-immigrant policies and practices. Here’s the truth: When local law enforcement are forced to act as federal immigration agents, their entire communities become less safe. In fact, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the Presidential Task Force on 21st Century Policing, and law enforcement leaders from across the country have all adopted positions opposing local entanglement with immigration enforcement on the ground that it harms public safety. The ACLU of Montana is opposed to HB 146 and HB 147."SK Rossi, Advocacy and Policy Director for the ACLU of Montana

"Peer support programs are a vital and unique way to support people who are recovering from substance use disorders or other behavioral health issues.  When people have access to peers, their outcomes improve. People in peer support programs have fewer symptoms and end up in the hospital less often. Their well-being and self-esteem improve, and they participate more in their communities. Their recoveries are also more thorough and longer-lasting.

Under current Montana law, the Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division, is required to suspend the driver’s license of any person who fails to pay court debt. Every year, the state suspends the driver's licenses of more than 10,000 low-income people who cannot afford to pay court debt, even when the reason for their debt has nothing to do with public safety when driving. In Montana, driving with a suspended license carries a penalty of between 2 days and 6 months of jail in addition to more fines and an extended period of suspension. H.B. 217 would relieve thousands of Montanans from this harmful practice.

Lawmakers, advocacy groups agree: suspending driver’s licenses for unpaid court debt improperly punishes individuals and is counterproductive.

“Renewing Montana’s Medicaid program is a win-win. It will continue to provide access to healthcare for our most vulnerable, save the state money, and increase economic activity and jobs. Renewing our Medicaid program will also make Montana safer and help Montanans who are returning to their communities after being incarcerated.  Any proposal to add a work requirement or drug testing would harm all of the people who depend on Medicaid to access healthcare and would be a huge waste of Montana’s tax dollars. Nobody would benefit from the bureaucratic mess that these barriers would create.”  SK Rossi, Advocacy and Policy Director for the ACLU of Montana

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for Herrera v. Wyoming on Jan. 8, 2019. In taking this case, the Supreme Court has a chance to hold the federal government accountable for a promise that it made to the Crow Tribe 150 years ago. That promise, ratified in the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, guarantees the right of the Crow to hunt and fish on all “unoccupied lands” of the United States. The ACLU of Montana supports tribal sovereignty and signed onto an amicus brief in support of Clayvin Herrera and the Crow Tribe. 

Thanks to your support, we did a lot in 2018! Here are some highlights from the past year.

The ACLU of Montana has asked Secretary of State Corey Stapleton to take proactive steps to ensure that every qualified voter has access to the ballot box in 2020.