Senator provides update on bills

The Montana Legislature has completed 25 days of its 90 day session.

Bills that have passed their respective chamber are starting to have hearings in the other chamber. The following are some Senate bills of interest that have passed and are on their way to the House. SB 157 is an act revising requirements for the supervision of dental auxiliary personnel. It would allow certified dental assistants to do some tasks if the licensed dentist is not present. The tasks would not go beyond what the assistants already are allowed to do. SB 101 is an act revising laws related to primary absentee ballots. It would eliminate the requirement of returning the unvoted ballots by an absentee voter in primary elections. In the 2018 primary election there were three party ballots mailed to absentee voters. Voters were to mark one, put it into the secrecy envelope, and put the unvoted ballots into the unvoted envelope. All of these ballots were then to be put into the signature envelope and returned to the election department. The process is bulky, confusing and expensive. Simply put, SB 101 directs the voter to vote one ballot, send it in, and discard the others. SB 94 is an act providing signature authority to advanced practice registered nurses. When a law requires a signature by a physician, SB 94 would allow the requirement to be fulfilled by an advanced practice registered nurse practicing within the scope of their certification.

These bills and others can be tracked through the legislative process at leg.mt.gov.

Republican Keith Regier represents Senate District 3 in the Montana Legislature.