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Check back to stay up to date on all the latest news about the 2020 Montana State Legislature (photo by Kyle Stinson)

Update: Jan. 7: This afternoon, Governor Gianforte released his state budget for the next two years. While the overall budget decreases state spending significantly, it maintains important funding for key public lands and conservation programs like Habitat Montana, our state's flagship wildlife habitat and public access program. However, the budget does divert funding from the sale of recreational marijuana, which voters overwhelmingly approved in November, away from public lands initiatives. Voters made it clear that they expected this revenue to benefit the access, recreation, habitat, and public lands infrastructure that Montanans have depended on for generations, and we'll fight to make sure this revenue is allocated as Montanans intended. 

Here's a statement from State Policy Director Noah Marion about the governor's new budget: 

"We thank Governor Gianforte for taking steps in his budget to increase funding for critical public land access and conservation programs, particularly Habitat Montana and improved public access along the Lower Yellowstone River and Flathead Lake. Now, we call on the legislature to follow through on the governor's budget.

While we're pleased that the governor has honored his campaign promises to invest in public lands, we're disappointed that he has chosen to direct recreational marijuana revenue away from critical public lands initiatives. While we applaud the creation of the HEART fund, it's essential that we support public access and recreational infrastructure for hikers, hunters, anglers, and other recreationists - and respect the will of Montana voters - by investing in and protecting our outdoor way of life and the tens of thousands of jobs it supports. We look forward to working with the governor and the Legislature to craft a budget that will support the needs of all Montanans." 

The best way to make sure that our public lands stay well-funded is to join our State Legislative Action Team. We'll send you occasional text messages at key points, making it easy for you to contact your legislators and tell them to defend our public lands. 

Original post, Jan. 7: There's a lot happening in short order during the legislative session, and we're committed to tracking all the developments and making it easy for you to stay informed.

To make following along easy, we’ll be posting regular updates right here about new legislation, developments in the Capitol, and what YOU can do to make sure the Legislature is acting in the best interests of our wild public lands. We’ll also be providing expert analysis and key links to help you stay on top of things, so bookmark this page and check back often - things more pretty quickly during the session. 

We’ll also be posting updates regularly on social media, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest. 

It’s going to be a busy session, and your voice is going to be a huge part of protecting the wildlands we love. 

Click here to learn more about our priorities during the legislative session.

One of the best ways you can participate is by joining our State Legislative Action Team. We'll text you when YOUR senator or representative is a key player, so you’ll only hear from us when YOUR voice will make the most impact. 

We have a lot of opportunities to protect Montana’s wild public lands, wildlife, clean water, and natural beauty this session, and we're excited to have you on the team.