[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6353960,"mediaKeyId","2220786-a5999d121bbade58de60ac74cf28e101","parentId",2220786,"title","House committee adopts due‑pass on beef council bill after divided executive action vote","audioSeconds",324,"startMs",4417000,"endMs",4741000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2220786-a5999d121bbade58de60ac74cf28e101&start=4417&end=4741","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2220786-a5999d121bbade58de60ac74cf28e101/thumbnail_4417000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6353960/Montana/House-committee-adopts-duepass-on-beef-council-bill-after-divided-executive-action-vote","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6353960-13abb4b238117bf0da4ffb3d465e6c27/orig.mp4?Expires=1774029439&Signature=U0JhVwWaU4O8QynoP7l8eU1qL6AScAYfnHhX3Vbb-CqUkM9yGgu~l9Dcocy~iEcLUq~c1B1MtqjmwnxUr6VR2UhfprDR0VrGo3ZtkuEMJZGwn0whu9GLHwG0V8~Qxp56LPP80bJi4ihujkmL-KIkkvGQXvKEW4aQZdHk-kzxKF-80VUotY547HI~rWj8N4YnhRDDKsuPL6~a1Ojksy94ld76o7quLkPyfKdsetMa0KcSMeGBN3u9iLYBVFrUPpb5lNBJQwrkUN-6hWVexj2XZy83HAY14PTV8QKN4c4TVRjM3UL~bN1-KDRGPLvljM8PtsWU~Fz8drDfGU6rEIhYFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montana Legislature","date","2025-02-04T00:00:00Z","article","The House Appropriations Committee moved to give House Bill 119 a due‑pass recommendation during executive action and approved the motion by roll call, the committee record shows.

A member moved “due pass” on House Bill 119 during the committee's executive session; the transcript does not identify that member by name on the motion line. Representatives then discussed the measure briefly, with some members reporting constituent opposition from cattle ranchers and others saying they supported the bill or had received no supporters in their districts.

Representative Rosenzweig said he had received many opposing messages and could not find supporters in his district. Representative Albus said the opposition appeared organized but that he and neighbors who are cattle ranchers supported the bill. Another member identified themself as a cattle rancher and said they would vote no, calling the bill’s purpose unclear and saying the fiscal note did not account for opt‑outs.

The committee conducted a roll‑call vote. The record lists members and their votes as recorded on the floor: Vice Chair Beatty — yes; Vice Chair Mercer — yes (by proxy); Vice Chair Cafaro — no; Representative Albus — yes; Representative Barker — yes; Representative Crow — no; Representative Falk — yes; Representative Fitzpatrick — yes; Representative Fox — no; Representative Gillette — yes; Representative Hawk — no; Representative Keogh — no; Representative Matthews — no; Representative Muskevich — no; Representative Nicastro — yes; Representative Nave — yes; Representative Powers — no; Representative Rosenzweig — no; Representative Schillinger — yes; Representative Tuss — no; Representative Vinton — yes; Representative Walsh — yes; Chair Jones — yes.

The clerk announced 13 yes and 10 no; the committee chair declared the bill passed out of committee on a due‑pass recommendation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Appropriations 2025-02-04","oneSentenceSummary","During executive action the House Appropriations Committee moved and passed a due‑pass recommendation on House Bill 119 following members' debate and a roll‑call vote that recorded 13 yes and 10 no votes.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MT, Montana","taxId",77694,"location","Montana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6353965,"Committee hears fiscal case for 3-year continuous Medicaid eligibility for children under 6",3919,549000,4468000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2220786-a5999d121bbade58de60ac74cf28e101&start=549&end=4468","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2220786-a5999d121bbade58de60ac74cf28e101/thumbnail_549000.jpg","/articles/6353965/Montana/Committee-hears-fiscal-case-for-3-year-continuous-Medicaid-eligibility-for-children-under-6","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6353965-288d83da9462961763353e72dcf6de62/orig.mp4?Expires=1774029439&Signature=YqwGUzV~ULXIDHoIqNNDYMc9joB919~UeNJ9a7r2M0QcducX2~7DK9YdZ80AuBsF-wIfOwim5juev~jFmEFcT6x5rGceVuNp-eukiJPV6fpguGFK5WSl1hzR3pClqo9wGyoLNHnsLk5OTHBTArlC2MqNM9LWDM~5unSxhOkUNWPDWP9usUtlxaXWk27bMIrM17dtrrN10xwTYzX6FGWqR8gyr0p1nvTVw8uiITFXPT8kg2WJ4VuLznTW9MFbg8TLC66lVaxW6ahwJSgcdTZQbP2~lsuWGGhbOs-S9xz-zAUTRQCy4N5ILmXFbhlV-UxHLQJ~v2SV0~trtq1gtte6~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Appropriations Committee met to consider House Bill 185, a bill to provide three years of continuous eligibility for children under age 6 in the Healthy Montana Kids Plan, the sponsor said.

Representative Ed Staffman, House District 59 of Bozeman, told the committee the change is intended to reduce administrative churn and keep children enrolled in preventative care. “A child enrolls, stays enrolled, even if the parents shift around in jobs but without substantial income changes,” Staffman said, adding that administrative churn forces reenrollments that are costly and interrupt care.

The bill would replace the current 12‑month redetermination cycle for eligible children with a three‑year period before states require a reenrollment. Staffman and several proponents pointed to experience from other states and to studies indicating administrative and downstream savings from maintaining continuous coverage.

Gene Hermanson, Medicaid chief financial manager at the Department of Public Health (as identified in the hearing), described the fiscal assumptions the department used for its fiscal note. The department assumed an 11% increase in member months for Medicaid and CHIP among the affected age group, and estimated administrative savings of about 1,880 staff hours from fewer redeterminations. Hermanson said those hours are likely to be reassigned to other eligibility work across programs rather than eliminated as a position reduction.

Witnesses and informational presenters emphasized potential savings from avoided emergency visits and better-managed chronic conditions. Stephanie Jerram, director of the Office of Health Policy at the Oregon Health Authority, described Oregon’s experience under a Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver that preserves eligibility until age 6 and said Oregon has not seen “meaningful” cost increases two years after implementation. Dr. Lauren Wilson, advocacy chair and immediate past president of the Montana chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, cited studies estimating administrative churn costs and contrasted those with the lower cost of preventive care for conditions such as asthma.

Several proponents from Montana nonprofit and advocacy organizations urged the committee to weigh long‑term benefits: Jasmine Krotkov (Truth to Power) and Matt Kuntz (NAMI Montana) said continuous eligibility would reduce paperwork burdens on families and could yield broader social and economic benefits.

Committee members asked technical and budgetary questions about how eligibility is determined, how the department would demonstrate budget neutrality to CMS under a Section 1115 waiver, and whether CHIP funding caps could require waiting lists. Hermanson said CHIP has a federal funding cap and the department added a technical note in the fiscal materials to flag the theoretical possibility of a CHIP wait list, though he said the department’s projections do not anticipate that outcome.

Sponsor closing remarks reiterated that multiple states — including Oregon — have obtained federal approval for continuous eligibility under waivers and that CMS has encouraged states to pursue such demonstrations. Representative Staffman repeated the sponsor’s estimate that the fiscal note equates to roughly 37,000 additional member months (about 3,100 child‑equivalents), with a distribution the fiscal note lists as approximately 2,200 Medicaid, 324 CHIP and 572 tribal months.

No committee vote was taken during the hearing. The hearing record includes agency staff available for questions and a series of proponent witnesses and informational presenters.","The House Appropriations Committee took testimony on House Bill 185, which would provide three years of continuous eligibility for children under age 6 in Montana's Healthy Montana Kids Plan. Testimony and agency officials focused on fiscal impacts, administrative hours saved, projected enrollment increases and waiver requirements from CMS.","actionData","errors"]

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House committee adopts due‑pass on beef council bill after divided executive action vote

Committee hears fiscal case for 3-year continuous Medicaid eligibility for children under 6