Montana House Judiciary hears hours of testimony on HB 121, the "Protect Women Act"

Members of the Montana House Judiciary Committee heard several hours of testimony on House Bill 121, the "Protect Women Act," during a public hearing in Helena. The bill would require covered public institutions to designate multi‑occupancy restrooms, changing rooms and sleeping accommodations for either males or females and would provide a private right of action for certain harms, while including exemptions for single‑user family rooms and ADA accommodations.

Proponents told the committee the bill is meant to protect privacy and safety for women and children. Representative Keri Seekins Crowe, sponsor of HB 121, said in her opening that "The Protect Women Act is not about division or exclusion. It's about ensuring that everyone…can feel safe and respected in spaces where privacy is most critical." Lieutenant Governor Kristin Juras testified in support and said, "men do not belong in women's restroom, in women's prisons, in the private spaces of women, period." Alliance Defending Freedom counsel Beth Nolan summarized the measure's structure: "This bill has 3 main components. It requires that the included facilities designate all multi‑occupancy spaces … it requires that those facilities take reasonable steps to ensure that both men and women respectively have…