Montana House Advances Virus Liability Shield Bill By Iris Samuels | February 3, 2021
Montana House lawmakers voted this week to advance a bill that would protect businesses and health care providers from coronavirus-related lawsuits, a step the Republican governor said was necessary to remove a statewide mask mandate.
Gov. Greg Gianforte endorsed the move last week during his State of the State address, saying it would allow businesses to safely open during the pandemic and move “away from impractical government mandates.” He has also said more vulnerable Montana residents would have to receive COVID-19 vaccines before he lifts the mask mandate put in place by his Democratic predecessor.
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana House lawmakers voted Monday to advance a bill that would protect businesses and health care providers from coronavirus-related lawsuits, a step the Republican governor said
The Montana House, on mostly party-line votes, gave initial approval to four bills to limit access to abortions, as well as legislation that would prohibit transgender women from participating in women s sports and penalize doctors for providing gender-affirming care.
Republicans, who hold a majority in the House and Senate, where the bills head after another House vote likely Tuesday, have made clear one of their priorities this session is to pass bills that have been vetoed in the past by Democratic governors. Three of the abortion bills were vetoed in the 2019 session.
Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, who took office Jan. 4, is the state s first GOP governor in 16 years. Gianforte does not support abortion, though he has refrained from saying how he will act on any bills before they reach his desk.
"We ve said from the beginning of the session that we re here to put good policy ideas out and to work hard to gain support for them," said House Minority Leader
The Montana House on Wednesday supported a bill that would expand options for both permitted and permitless concealed firearms, including at universities. The floor debate led to a rare procedural disagreement among lawmakers.