[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6112989,"mediaKeyId","2746567-26a1e8244f1fad8155cb03f66ff7e2cc","parentId",2746567,"title","Cascade County Board of Health approves minutes, hears legislative updates on fees and vaping","audioSeconds",191,"startMs",63000,"endMs",254000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2746567-26a1e8244f1fad8155cb03f66ff7e2cc&start=63&end=254","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2746567-26a1e8244f1fad8155cb03f66ff7e2cc/thumbnail_63000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6112989/Cascade-County/Montana/Cascade-County-Board-of-Health-approves-minutes-hears-legislative-updates-on-fees-and-vaping","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6112989-30bac9f06348457273400140efa781b7/orig.mp4?Expires=1773578994&Signature=GEZRhv7qzC5wmNWlBgdhUrFob-293CLUxT0QL9eAlX07tbbUa8t-BZplMBKAbF358jMv5Ze~yRLIVdGkTv2kJy3ReN2240qn7h5lcWMo2vSgB7uSfGlDJKRU8I6h50un54eXKDMGZHIJKXhyTEvdZN1p-VtRHOnVgwVx2CTkfVUBDMFx9Q1r5ARxKPjjpnjUHZV38cadM0IQkLEXsYBgk-vjQc664rF45CBO9tyVEkid6WrNSJ4U6GecELiYdudcsDinVD4AVLiP0xf-0SMAt~Nll8WEEz~M63O0j0ysq1ZpJgkENH9WSi4-IAII2YQXmbGRFDe9hqt2p6yq1smKEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","MT / Cascade County ","date","2025-03-20T00:00:00Z","article","The Cascade County Board of Health on March 20 approved minutes from its Feb. 20, 2025 meeting, received staff legislative updates and discussed administrative follow-ups including signature logistics for a recently adopted resolution.

Heather Hoyer moved to approve the Feb. 20 minutes and Shannon seconded. The board corrected a header error in the draft minutes (the title incorrectly listed Feb. 13), then voted unanimously to adopt the minutes as amended.

Abigail, Cascade County public health staff, briefed the board on several legislative items. She said a proposed revision to the license establishment fee is expected to be introduced soon in the House human-services committee; the fee would shift a greater share of inspection costs toward licensed establishments. Abigail said Cascade County currently covers roughly 85% of inspection costs while establishments cover about 15%, and the proposed change aims to make that split more equitable. She noted the fee schedule has not been updated since 2009.

Abigail also said the board’s cigar-bar resolution would be before legislators the next day at 8 a.m., and that a separate Clean Indoor Air Act measure that would expand indoor-air protections to include e-cigarettes and vaping products is scheduled for a March 26 House Business and Labor committee hearing. Staff asked board members to consider testifying; at least one board member said she was registered to speak in opposition to the cigar-bar measure.

On administrative items, the board discussed signature procedures for resolutions. Abigail said the county uses DocuSign for contracts but that legal guidance was needed to confirm how the board’s resolution should be signed; staff will follow up with legal counsel and report back.

Votes at a glance: Minutes (Feb. 20, 2025) — motion to approve by Heather Hoyer, second by Shannon; outcome: approved (unanimous). Resolution 25-06 (cigar bars) — approved (see separate article). Resolution 25-07 (vaccine exemptions) — approved (see separate article).

The meeting concluded after staff agreed to circulate materials and follow up on signature authority and testimony arrangements for upcoming hearings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cascade County Board of Health - March 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved minutes from its Feb. 20 meeting, reviewed staff legislative updates including a proposed license establishment fee and a Clean Indoor Air Act expansion to include vaping, and discussed administrative items including signature procedures for resolutions.","taxTitle","Cascade County, Montana","taxId",5060,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6112995,"Cascade County Board of Health adopts resolution opposing broader vaccine exemptions",325,760000,1085000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2746567-26a1e8244f1fad8155cb03f66ff7e2cc&start=760&end=1085","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2746567-26a1e8244f1fad8155cb03f66ff7e2cc/thumbnail_760000.jpg","/articles/6112995/Cascade-County/Montana/Cascade-County-Board-of-Health-adopts-resolution-opposing-broader-vaccine-exemptions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6112995-2c04eb317e87961518465b8a2f0cf9bf/orig.mp4?Expires=1773578994&Signature=djmGbavGFfy-bQiJJx6J3MQdIhHNmFQDsumYiYvY42UB1X5hQbVTN-4rDx-H3pOWQqxC9eyIqF9MWzxSb6e79Hj853LuExByjCpkpWWdiVrZzg-218MYz6JT38PVFw~5d6VyR20oueyLys8ABuaQ1~qAz~k4DFGCQGBcKRElGgkzG~Rc7D6Zd7oVwTmXTededOaN66x1-SZgqrHinTCEBxnpP0Coab8HXrFuj4YKCBrPC6Y9x1MjK-lk-jCDLyT7MTuJ0XSMTT~O0NZ6KkHvUOyWGyTrNqFuVbXP7mxzDbSKcwQPLZpwXnaxdxiXbfCVqth6hZpxNlXh6jJ9d8GQlA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cascade County Board of Health on March 20 adopted Resolution 25-07, which opposes proposed changes that would broaden vaccine exemptions or add language that, the board said, could impede public-health outbreak responses.

Abigail, Cascade County public health staff, told the board the resolution has two primary aims: to note the public-health benefits of vaccines in reducing childhood disease and death, and to oppose legislation that would expand exemptions beyond the current medical and religious categories. \"We already have that mechanism. It's working,\" Abigail said, referring to the existing medical and religious exemption process for school immunization requirements.

Abigail also described a concern about draft language in some bills that could be interpreted to prohibit differential treatment of underimmunized children during an exposure event. She used measles as an example: if a school had a measles case, public health needs to identify and exclude underimmunized children to prevent spread; ambiguous statutory language, she said, could be read to bar exclusion and, in turn, complicate quarantine or isolation measures.

Heather Hoyer moved to approve Resolution 25-07 and Shannon seconded. The board voted unanimously to adopt the resolution. Chair Dr. Martin called the vote and members answered in the affirmative; the motion carried.

Abigail told the board the resolution is designed to register the county board’s concerns with legislators and to preserve public-health authority to use exclusion and quarantine when necessary. Board members thanked Abigail for preparing the language and asked staff to circulate material to support testimony where appropriate.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 25-07 (vaccine exemptions) — motion to approve by Heather Hoyer, second by Shannon; outcome: approved (unanimous vote of board members present).

The board did not assign regulatory action at the meeting; the resolution expresses a policy position for pending state legislation.","The Board approved Resolution 25-07 urging retention of the existing medical and religious exemption system and opposing proposals that would broaden exemptions or hinder public-health exclusion authority during outbreaks.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6113000,"Cascade County Board of Health approves resolution opposing public cigar bars in proposed state bill",477,268000,745000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2746567-26a1e8244f1fad8155cb03f66ff7e2cc&start=268&end=745","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2746567-26a1e8244f1fad8155cb03f66ff7e2cc/thumbnail_268000.jpg","/articles/6113000/Cascade-County/Montana/Cascade-County-Board-of-Health-approves-resolution-opposing-public-cigar-bars-in-proposed-state-bill","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6113000-fdd91a82173d79d3f405eaffec451406/orig.mp4?Expires=1773578994&Signature=N~wj2Gxsy513euphdfqq66vLhp5mtg6I-5l9zs3EQP1-wKAhgAGRaCOPkOZsR4ohaZu-utkUskCl1tssRhZ-PPoaQJPs79LVDEt~DfsgYEc5JgDd8~wW4LYwVFg8u6nEKr3nTS476d3T8WdVk7HuryMCFkOsoQgciu8J91kgz9V4zdNdKwMU2Y3b7ZzZEdgIbEYY~Q3PBdKzE2KZF3UitS4omhuvTzisMSfSGjHZ56egFlmCZhufX7lTQmZbzM5Ra7rbeXvaxUf6HzuYVf4MXTZOqPo8eOqhkdkkL7xCvt-mEcAIfD-JYckwmdM6fkv6~OINOGf5kXCrfVt~0j5x~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cascade County Board of Health voted unanimously March 20 to approve Resolution 25-06, which addresses proposed state legislation to allow certain public cigar bars and related changes to indoor-air protections.

The resolution, presented by Abigail, Cascade County public health staff, opposes changes that would permit publicly accessible cigar bars unless they meet specified criteria such as ventilation standards and minimum cigar-related sales. Abigail told the board the language in the proposed legislation would allow some businesses to operate as cigar bars open to the public and could require local health departments to monitor compliance.

The resolution argues that cigar smoke produces secondhand exposure that places workers and patrons at risk of disease, including lung cancer and heart disease, and that the proposal could erode existing protections under the Clean Indoor Air Act. Abigail summarized the public-health concern, saying the measure focuses on “the impact of smoke on health and the impact of secondhand smoke.”

Lori Glover moved to approve Resolution 25-06 and Shannon seconded. The board voted unanimously to adopt the resolution. \"All those in favor of approving the motion, say aye,\" Chair Dr. Martin said; members answered aye and the motion carried unanimously.

Board members discussed next steps for representing the board at the upcoming legislative hearing. Glover said she was registered to testify in opposition, and Abigail said the cigar-bar legislation is scheduled for an 8 a.m. hearing the following day. The resolution explicitly references Senate Bill 150, which board members identified in discussion as the bill that would establish public cigar bars; board members approved the resolution as an opposition statement to that bill.

Abigail and the board also discussed administrative steps to finalize the resolution, including obtaining an authorizing signature. Abigail said she would check with legal staff and explore electronic signature options; county staff confirmed the county uses DocuSign for contracts but that signatures on the resolution would need to follow legal guidance.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 25-06 (cigar bars) — motion to approve by Lori Glover, second by Shannon; outcome: approved (unanimous vote of board members present).

The board did not take additional formal actions related to enforcement at the meeting; Abigail said the health department would be listed as the monitoring entity in the draft language and that the resolution records the board’s formal stance for the upcoming legislative hearing.

The board adjourned after confirming next steps for outreach and testimony on tobacco-related bills.","The Cascade County Board of Health voted unanimously to approve Resolution 25-06 opposing legislation that would create public cigar bars and loosen indoor-air protections, citing worker and patron exposure to secondhand smoke.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Cascade County Board of Health approves minutes, hears legislative updates on fees and vaping

Cascade County Board of Health adopts resolution opposing broader vaccine exemptions

Cascade County Board of Health approves resolution opposing public cigar bars in proposed state bill