Medicaid, abortion, guns and yoga pants

• The Republicans’ plan to expand health coverage to Montana’s poor was rolled out Feb. 10 and included nearly 20 bills, some of which have not yet been introduced. The goal, leaders said, is to “getting the right services to the right people.” All told, the Republican plan could extend Medicaid coverage to 15,000 to 20,000 people.

Gov. Bullock’s proposal, House Bill 249, calls for taking federal Medicaid money to cover the nearly 70,000 Montanans who do not qualify for Obamacare. One hundred percent of the federal money would be available through 2016 before it steps down to 90 percent by 2020. The provisions in HB 249 could be terminated if federal money drops below 90 percent.

Sen. Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, said the Republican alternative is to continue to “incentive work, and that is a significant difference to the governor’s plan.”

The Republican bills include ones to expand government health coverage for some poor Montanans, fund more local mental health programs, limit liability for medical providers, and encourage market-based solutions for health coverage.

House Bill 455, a 12-page bill introduced by Rep. Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, calls for expanding Medicaid coverage to some low-income parents, spending $16 million to help disabled people on waiting lists for certain programs, and enacting new health care management programs for Medicaid.

Rep. Art Wittich, R-Bozeman, acknowledges that additional state money will be needed to cover the Republican plan.

House Minority Leader Chuck Hunter, D-Helena, reacted to the Republican plan by saying they want “to pick winners and losers, rather than address the entire needs of the population that’s not being served.”

• Rep. Matthew Monforton, R-Bozeman, is the sponsor of a bill that would amend the Montana Constitution by defining human life as beginning at conception. House Bill 425 was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 6.

This marks the third time a similar bill seeking “personhood” for unborn humans has been introduced to the legislature. Similar efforts in other states also have failed.

Members of the Montana Prolife Coalition gathered on the Montana Capitol steps on Feb. 11 in support of the bill. Kalispell physician Annie Bukacek said the bill “is designed to stop the killing and not regulate the killing.”

• Three firearms bill were brought to the House Judiciary Committee recently.

Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman, introduced House Bill 371, which would allow people with concealed-carry licenses to take concealed guns into bars and banks. Opponents say the bill would also allow people to carry guns into schools.

Rep. Bill Harris, R-Winnett, introduced House Bill 298, which would nullify the state’s concealed-carry permit system. A person who is eligible to possess a handgun under state or federal law could not be charged with the offense of carrying a concealed weapon under his bill.

Rep. Carl Glimm, R-Kalispell, introduced House Bill 320, which would remove the existing requirement that school boards expel any student who takes a gun to school. His goal is to protect students who are hunters who leave a gun locked in the trunk of a vehicle.

In 2010, a Columbia Falls High School student was initially suspended from school after an unloaded rifle was found locked in her vehicle. The incident drew national media attention, and the school board voted not to expel her.

• A bill introduced by Rep. David Moore, R-Missoula, seeking to tighten up the state’s indecent exposure laws was unanimously tabled by the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 11.

Moore’s bill called for expanding the definition of indecent exposure to include wearing garments that give the appearance of a person’s buttocks, genitals, pelvis or female nipple. Moore said he was responding to a nude biking event held in Missoula in 2014. He also said he thought yoga pants should be illegal.

A number of important and less important bill proposals were introduced by Republicans to the Montana Legislature in the past week, including alternatives to Gov. Steve Bullock’s call to expand Medicaid coverage, a bill aimed at preventing abortions, three firearms bills, and a bill that would have tightened the state’s indecent exposure law.

• The Republicans’ plan to expand health coverage to Montana’s poor was rolled out Feb. 10 and included nearly 20 bills, some of which have not yet been introduced. The goal, leaders said, is to “getting the right services to the right people.” All told, the Republican plan could extend Medicaid coverage to 15,000 to 20,000 people.

Gov. Bullock’s proposal, House Bill 249, calls for taking federal Medicaid money to cover the nearly 70,000 Montanans who do not qualify for Obamacare. One hundred percent of the federal money would be available through 2016 before it steps down to 90 percent by 2020. The provisions in HB 249 could be terminated if federal money drops below 90 percent.

Sen. Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, said the Republican alternative is to continue to “incentive work, and that is a significant difference to the governor’s plan.”

The Republican bills include ones to expand government health coverage for some poor Montanans, fund more local mental health programs, limit liability for medical providers, and encourage market-based solutions for health coverage.

House Bill 455, a 12-page bill introduced by Rep. Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, calls for expanding Medicaid coverage to some low-income parents, spending $16 million to help disabled people on waiting lists for certain programs, and enacting new health care management programs for Medicaid.

Rep. Art Wittich, R-Bozeman, acknowledges that additional state money will be needed to cover the Republican plan.

House Minority Leader Chuck Hunter, D-Helena, reacted to the Republican plan by saying they want “to pick winners and losers, rather than address the entire needs of the population that’s not being served.”

• Rep. Matthew Monforton, R-Bozeman, is the sponsor of a bill that would amend the Montana Constitution by defining human life as beginning at conception. House Bill 425 was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 6.

This marks the third time a similar bill seeking “personhood” for unborn humans has been introduced to the legislature. Similar efforts in other states also have failed.

Members of the Montana Prolife Coalition gathered on the Montana Capitol steps on Feb. 11 in support of the bill. Kalispell physician Annie Bukacek said the bill “is designed to stop the killing and not regulate the killing.”

• Three firearms bill were brought to the House Judiciary Committee recently.

Rep. Kerry White, R-Bozeman, introduced House Bill 371, which would allow people with concealed-carry licenses to take concealed guns into bars and banks. Opponents say the bill would also allow people to carry guns into schools.

Rep. Bill Harris, R-Winnett, introduced House Bill 298, which would nullify the state’s concealed-carry permit system. A person who is eligible to possess a handgun under state or federal law could not be charged with the offense of carrying a concealed weapon under his bill.

Rep. Carl Glimm, R-Kalispell, introduced House Bill 320, which would remove the existing requirement that school boards expel any student who takes a gun to school. His goal is to protect students who are hunters who leave a gun locked in the trunk of a vehicle.

In 2010, a Columbia Falls High School student was initially suspended from school after an unloaded rifle was found locked in her vehicle. The incident drew national media attention, and the school board voted not to expel her.

• A bill introduced by Rep. David Moore, R-Missoula, seeking to tighten up the state’s indecent exposure laws was unanimously tabled by the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 11.

Moore’s bill called for expanding the definition of indecent exposure to include wearing garments that give the appearance of a person’s buttocks, genitals, pelvis or female nipple. Moore said he was responding to a nude biking event held in Missoula in 2014. He also said he thought yoga pants should be illegal.