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Committee adopts amendment to restrict extracurricular participation to residents and citizens
Summary
Senate Bill 350 was amended to allow athletic associations and districts discretion to prohibit or restrict non-U.S. citizens or non-Montana residents from participating in extracurricular activities; the change was made to address concerns about short-term out-of-state entrants winning state championships.
Senator Matt Regier told the committee that SB 350 is intended to address an unintended consequence of prior law that allowed homeschool students to participate in school extracurriculars: short-term out-of-state entrants competing only for a season and capturing state championships. "A state champion, I believe, should be in our state, and not from our neighbors up north," Regier said.
The Montana High School Association testified in favor and described working with the senator to draft an amendment requiring a student be a U.S. and Montana resident to participate in certain MHSA activities. The MHSA noted cooperative agreements with neighboring states already exist and the association's executive board and appeals processes would handle edge cases.
Committee members discussed whether the amendment should be a 'may' or 'shall' restriction. Advocates of the amendment said leaving discretion with the association allows fair handling of transitional cases (students who legitimately move into Montana mid-season). The committee adopted the amendment and advanced the bill, leaving rule details to MHSA for implementation.
