Latest news with #R-Billings
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kalispell planners warn of impending parking crunch
May 15—Kalispell officials are warning that on-street parking is in jeopardy thanks to a bill awaiting the governor's signature that limits off-street parking requirements on new construction. The piece of legislation, House Bill 492, came up during the Kalispell Planning Commission's Tuesday meeting as members mulled over the preliminary draft land use plan required by the Montana Land Use Planning Act. The act, which was signed into law in 2023, requires 10 Montana cities — including Kalispell — to draft a new land use plan that emphasizes boosting housing supply. The city is required to adopt at least five of 14 potential zoning ordinances meant to stoke development, like reducing setback areas and lot size, or allowing apartments on single-family lots. Residents can peruse and vote on each regulation on the dedicated city webpage ( But an ordinance outlined in the act that limits parking regulations may become law regardless. House Bill 492, sponsored by Rep. Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, was introduced in February and would limit city parking requirements to one space per dwelling unit in new construction. It would also eliminate any parking requirements for child care, deed-restricted housing, assisted living or residential units under 1,200 square feet. While developers have in the past built more parking than required, Development Services Director Jarod Nygren said he sees a potential for opportunistic developers to buy up infill and not allocate any parking, which would push cars out onto the city streets. If that becomes reality, Nygren said the city would eventually need to look at outlawing on-street parking, particularly if it begins affecting the city's ability to provide services like plowing or responding to emergencies. City officials expressed confusion as to why the bill was passed in a state with limited public transit. "It seems like another [law] that was borrowed from a city where you can walk out of your apartment, jump on the train or walk to work," said Planning Commission Vice President Rory Young. Kalispell city officials were not keen on some of the other zoning regulations the state Legislature wants cities to adopt under the Montana Land Use Planning Act. Nygren criticized the law for prompting a "balancing act" of guiding new, diverse, development without remolding historic single-family neighborhoods and stripping away aesthetic amenities. "We shouldn't be building housing just for the sake of housing, it should still be quality," Nygren said. A potential ordinance allowing for three- and four-unit apartments wherever a single-family residence is allowed drew criticism for threatening the character of old neighborhoods. "This takes an eastside, historic, single-family home and says you can tear down and build a fourplex," Nygren said. But the process is time consuming and expensive for any developer, and he predicted it would not result in attainable housing. Planning Commission President Chad Graham was also an adamant no to the potential ordinance. Homeowner associations are exempt from adhering to some of the ordinances, which Graham worried would disproportionally affect historic neighborhoods while letting newer subdivisions off the hook. The ordinance to reduce setback areas by 25% was also looked down upon by city officials and the public, according to community feedback. Assistant Development Services Director PJ Sorensen said the regulation may impede space needed for utilities, buffers and other infrastructure. Planning Commission member Pip Burke argued that people still need access around the outside of their house. Nygren said that the setback ordinance, among others, disregard institutional knowledge around fire safety, noise and light for the sake of increasing housing density. Many of the ordinances, though, the city already implements in some form, Sorensen said. For instance, the city encourages denser development around community hubs like business centers and named "transit corridors." Kalispell also allows multi-family housing in commercial zones through a permit process. THE COMMISSION also appeared in favor of a developer's proposal to expand a subdivision in south Kalispell. Colton Behr, developer of the Anderson Ranch subdivision that was OK'd by Council in September 2024, is looking to annex 12 acres to the 31-acre property that resides on the west side of Demersville Road and just south of Lower Valley Road. The extension, which is at the south end of the property, resides on a 100-year flood zone and is intended only for parkland and stormwater detention, according to the development proposal. The entire subdivision stakes out 166 lots for single-family detached dwellings. The homes will be 1,600 square feet or less on 4,500-square-foot lots, "which equates to small homes on small lots that can provide more attainable housing options for residents of Kalispell," according to the subdivision proposal. The subdivision shares a planned unit development with Todd Gardner, who owns property directly west that will see an Amazon distribution warehouse go up in the future. A public hearing on the extension is scheduled for June 10. Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 or junderhill@
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kalispell planners warn of impending parking crunch
May 15—Kalispell officials are warning that on-street parking is in jeopardy thanks to a bill awaiting the governor's signature that limits off-street parking requirements on new construction. The piece of legislation, House Bill 492, came up during the Kalispell Planning Commission's Tuesday meeting as members mulled over the preliminary draft land use plan required by the Montana Land Use Planning Act. The act, which was signed into law in 2023, requires 10 Montana cities — including Kalispell — to draft a new land use plan that emphasizes boosting housing supply. The city is required to adopt at least five of 14 potential zoning ordinances meant to stoke development, like reducing setback areas and lot size, or allowing apartments on single-family lots. Residents can peruse and vote on each regulation on the dedicated city webpage ( But an ordinance outlined in the act that limits parking regulations may become law regardless. House Bill 492, sponsored by Rep. Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, was introduced in February and would limit city parking requirements to one space per dwelling unit in new construction. It would also eliminate any parking requirements for child care, deed-restricted housing, assisted living or residential units under 1,200 square feet. While developers have in the past built more parking than required, Development Services Director Jarod Nygren said he sees a potential for opportunistic developers to buy up infill and not allocate any parking, which would push cars out onto the city streets. If that becomes reality, Nygren said the city would eventually need to look at outlawing on-street parking, particularly if it begins affecting the city's ability to provide services like plowing or responding to emergencies. City officials expressed confusion as to why the bill was passed in a state with limited public transit. "It seems like another [law] that was borrowed from a city where you can walk out of your apartment, jump on the train or walk to work," said Planning Commission Vice President Rory Young. Kalispell city officials were not keen on some of the other zoning regulations the state Legislature wants cities to adopt under the Montana Land Use Planning Act. Nygren criticized the law for prompting a "balancing act" of guiding new, diverse, development without remolding historic single-family neighborhoods and stripping away aesthetic amenities. "We shouldn't be building housing just for the sake of housing, it should still be quality," Nygren said. A potential ordinance allowing for three- and four-unit apartments wherever a single-family residence is allowed drew criticism for threatening the character of old neighborhoods. "This takes an eastside, historic, single-family home and says you can tear down and build a fourplex," Nygren said. But the process is time consuming and expensive for any developer, and he predicted it would not result in attainable housing. Planning Commission President Chad Graham was also an adamant no to the potential ordinance. Homeowner associations are exempt from adhering to some of the ordinances, which Graham worried would disproportionally affect historic neighborhoods while letting newer subdivisions off the hook. The ordinance to reduce setback areas by 25% was also looked down upon by city officials and the public, according to community feedback. Assistant Development Services Director PJ Sorensen said the regulation may impede space needed for utilities, buffers and other infrastructure. Planning Commission member Pip Burke argued that people still need access around the outside of their house. Nygren said that the setback ordinance, among others, disregard institutional knowledge around fire safety, noise and light for the sake of increasing housing density. Many of the ordinances, though, the city already implements in some form, Sorensen said. For instance, the city encourages denser development around community hubs like business centers and named "transit corridors." Kalispell also allows multi-family housing in commercial zones through a permit process. THE COMMISSION also appeared in favor of a developer's proposal to expand a subdivision in south Kalispell. Colton Behr, developer of the Anderson Ranch subdivision that was OK'd by Council in September 2024, is looking to annex 12 acres to the 31-acre property that resides on the west side of Demersville Road and just south of Lower Valley Road. The extension, which is at the south end of the property, resides on a 100-year flood zone and is intended only for parkland and stormwater detention, according to the development proposal. The entire subdivision stakes out 166 lots for single-family detached dwellings. The homes will be 1,600 square feet or less on 4,500-square-foot lots, "which equates to small homes on small lots that can provide more attainable housing options for residents of Kalispell," according to the subdivision proposal. The subdivision shares a planned unit development with Todd Gardner, who owns property directly west that will see an Amazon distribution warehouse go up in the future. A public hearing on the extension is scheduled for June 10. Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 or junderhill@
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Two bills to preserve conservation funding in marijuana tax revenue advance
Tim Blakeley, manager of Sunset Junction medical marijuana dispensary, shows marijuana plant buds on May 11, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. The dispensary is one 25 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles fighting to stay open after city prosecutors began notifying 439 medical marijuana dispensaries that they must shut down by June 7. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian | Getty Images) Lawmakers in each chamber of the Montana Legislature have advanced bills that shift marijuana tax revenue, but preserve conservation funding. A previous bill that would have stopped the flow of marijuana revenue to a group of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks programs, drawing opposition from many conservation groups, was tabled in a Senate committee on April 1. The two new bills each passed their respective house of origin with significantly more bipartisan support — Senate Bill 537 passed on Saturday 45-0, while House Bill 932 passed the same day 71-27. SB 537, introduced by Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, keeps the existing amount of funding for conservation initiatives in place but expands how the funds can be used. The bill also increases distributions to the Healing and Ending Addiction through Recovery and Treatment (HEART) account, and adds funding for the Department of Justice, including substantial investments in law enforcement. 'I would call this the Cops and Conservation Act,' Zolnikov said on the Senate floor on April 4. 'Because one thing we hear about from my side of the aisle is we need more law enforcement, there's more problems coming on, how do we help those guys. And I'll tell you what was awesome about this bill, working with the other side of the aisle, they were very supportive of this side of the aisle's priorities. Working with this side of the aisle, they seemed to be very comfortable clarifying the buckets on this side of the aisle's priorities and helping on the conservation side. And in the end, we're trying to fill gaps.' Zolnikov's bill emerged as a compromise piece of legislation following the pushback to Senate Bill 307, brought by Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, which would have shifted marijuana revenue from conservation to law enforcement. McGillvray said his bill gave lawmakers a choice, whether they thought people, who may be harmed by the effects of marijuana, or trails and wildlife were more important issues to fund. By contrast, Zolnikov sought to eliminate the choice and instead give all stakeholders a little bit of what they wanted by allocating the roughly $33 million of tax revenue that currently goes into the state's general fund. Under the new structure, the current 4% revenue allocated each for state parks, trails and recreation and nongame wildlife remains as is. The 20% of funds currently earmarked for FWP's Habitat Montana fund instead goes to a new Habitat Legacy Account, which Zolnikov said broadens the use of the funds. According to the bill, 75% of funds in the account must be used solely to fund wildlife habitat projects, while the rest may be used for various conservation-related projects including noxious weed programs, grants for conservation districts, big game and wildlife highway crossings, and land and water acquisitions or easement purchases. 'It's all types of buckets in there that the conservation folks worked on and supported,' Zolnikov said. 'If you were in the hearing, it was the most fun group of people you could ever see all supporting it.' The HEART fund, which currently receives a set $6 million of marijuana revenue, would be boosted to a 20% allocation, which will allow the account to grow with tax revenue. The other additions, which target needs identified by McGillvray such as boosting law enforcement include: 2.5% for DOJ canine training, 1.5% for DOJ sexual assault exams and kits, 0.25% for the Board of Crime Control to fund crisis intervention training; 14% to the behavioral health system for future generations funds; 6.5% for drug and alcohol use prevention and 31% for DOJ law enforcement grants. Those grants would include distributing $50,000 to each police department, sheriff's office and tribal police department, plus proportional distributions based on department size. 'It's a pretty thorough bill. I'd say, working on it, I had to learn about a lot of problems that I think there's some gaps that we're not filling, and this really helped fills them in the future,' Zolnikov said. McGillvray told reporters on Tuesday that he felt many of the things in Zolnikov's bill, such as letting the HEART fund grow with tax revenue, were smart, but he still had some concerns about using the funds for conservation. 'The nexus between marijuana revenue and marijuana harms is just smart tax policy. And unfortunately, it all got started on the wrong foot, and it was a tough sell to get it back on the right foot,' he said. McGillvray added that removing revenue from the state's general fund for law enforcement is a 'big bite that could have a struggle' with the governor's office. On the House side, Rep. Ken Walsh, R-Twin Bridges, brought HB 932, which targets just the current 30% of conservation funding allocated to Habitat Montana. It functions in roughly the same way as SB 537, moving those funds to a new Habitat Legacy Account. Under HB 932, that account would funnel 75% into a separate Land and Wildlife Stewardship account that would be used solely for habitat conservation projects, while the remaining funds would be split between wildlife crossings, and the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) account. WHIP funds can currently only be used for noxious weed treatment, but Walsh's bill would greatly expand their use. 'What this bill will do is expand that bucket for private land owners, and conservation groups and fish, wildlife and parks to work together,' Walsh said He listed off some possible applications — irrigation infrastructure, forest management, prescribed fire, fish passage, soil enhancement, and wetland protection. 'Maybe even wildlife crossings, so we don't hit as many elk and deer on the road,' he said. The bill drew some opposition for continuing to fund conservation-related programs. 'This bill is going to lock up marijuana revenue in wildlife management kinds of things. And I know that's important to this body. But we have been listening all session about what's going on in our correctional system — we don't have enough space, don't have enough space,' Rep. Fiona Nave, R-Columbus, said. 'That's drug driven. We need the marijuana funding … to be available for drug treatment and law enforcement.' But lawmakers overwhelmingly backed the bill under its expanded scope. 'This allocated available dollars to important Montana industries, agriculture and the outdoor economy. It's a good bill for these businesses,' said Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls. HB 932 is awaiting a hearing before the Senate Fish and Game Committee while SB 537 will be heard in the House Taxation Committee later this month.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Montana Senate votes to punish Ellsworth, revokes lifetime floor privileges
Senator Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, watches a vote during the Senate Floor Session on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. (Nathaniel Bailey for the Daily Montanan) As the Senate chamber emptied on Tuesday afternoon, a sergeant-at-arms cleared off the desk of Sen. Jason Ellsworth. The Montana Senate voted 44-6 to punish the Hamilton Republican, for his failure to disclose a conflict of interest in procuring a contract for a close friend, and for a 'pattern of abuse.' In making the motion, Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, said the punishment was for more than just the conflict of interest which was the focus of a Senate Ethics Committee. He said it encompassed years of wrongdoings by Ellsworth, including running afoul of the Federal Trade Commission more than a decade ago, two altercations with law enforcement, and the work done late last year to a $170,100 contract that skirted procurement rules. 'I think this is appropriate,' McGillvray told his colleagues on the floor. 'These incidents were very, very serious and the Senate should respond accordingly.' Ellsworth, who apologized for only an appearance of impropriety, voted remotely against his own censure. He did not respond to texts or phone calls about his censure. Last week, the Senate voted twice on motions to expel Ellsworth, but couldn't get to the 2/3 majority (34 votes) needed to punish or expel a member, as a majority of Democrats voted against expulsion. Another expulsion vote taken before the censure also failed. Negotiations between McGillvray and Senate President Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, and Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade, took place over the last week, up until Tuesday when McGillvray said he crafted the final language that went 'right up to' the line of expulsion. The censure includes the following: Removal from Senate standing committees No assignment to interim committees No verbal contact with executive branch directors or legislative staff, unless Ellsworth is first contacted by them. Revocation of access to legislator or legislative services office space Revocation of floor privileges for life For the remainder of the session, all Ellsworth can do in an official capacity is vote, remotely, on second and third readings of bills, and on motions made on the floor. Former legislators are allowed floor access after they serve, but Ellsworth will not be allowed to enter the Senate chamber again. Regier told reporters after the vote that he remained disappointed that the chamber was unable to muster the votes to expel Ellsworth, casting blame on the minority caucus. 'This is everything that the public of Montana does not like about politicians, and we didn't expel that from the system,' Regier said. 'I'm still for (expulsion), still disappointed that the Democrat party didn't stand up and get rid of corruption. But I am glad, as a conciliatory action, that action was taken and there was repercussions.' McGillvray added he felt the Democrats likely prevented the expulsion of Ellsworth to secure a vote on legislation. 'Democrats don't protect corrupt Republicans out of principle,' he said. Six members voted against the censure, including two Democrats — Sen. Ellie Boldman and Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy. Two Great Falls Republicans Sens. Jeremy Trebas and Daniel Emrich had voted for expulsion but not for the censure, and Wendy McKamey, also of Great Falls, voted against the censure. Both Democrats spoke on the floor about their reasons for resisting the motion. Windy Boy said he thought there should be a progressive warning system before a punishment was enacted, while Boldman said she still doubted the fairness of the entire process and felt that revoking floor privileges for life went too far. 'The political witch hunt needs to stop,' she said. Many members of the Republican majority, however, still favored expulsion. Sen. Forrest Mandeville, R-Columbus, who led the Senate Ethics Committee, made a substitute motion to expel Ellsworth, which failed on a tie vote. 'I don't see what has changed in the last week that would change my mind that expulsion is the most appropriate punishment,' he said. 'I feel the infractions of the Senator from Senate District 43 has made over the course of his service in the Senate makes him unsuitable for office.' Sen. Chris Pope, a Bozeman Democrat, also served on the Ethics Committee and again made his case that censure was the best route and would be a 'very black mark' on Ellsworth. 'I think there's a sense in this body that our colleague has really fallen and that there needs to be consequences,' Pope said. 'We also, as a body, I think, have been interested in being judicious and being fair, but being very explicit as to what the punishment and what the long term need is here for this body to express itself, and its commitment to transparency and integrity and decorum.' Flowers said he felt the censure was fair, even though it went further than what his party had initially proposed — including the revocation of floor privileges and speaking to legislative staff — and for the most part his caucus had been happy with where things ended up. 'I applaud the Ethics Committee for being as efficient as possible with that effort and fair, but it did take a lot of time and energy, and I think just brought a kind of a little bit of a pall on our proceedings in here,' Flowers said. 'I think all of us are ready and happy to be moving on.' Ellsworth's office had yet to be emptied as of Tuesday afternoon.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers look to build artificial intelligence framework for Montana
The Montana Senate is seen during the Wednesday, February 12, 2025 session. (Nathaniel Bailey for the Daily Montanan) Montana lawmakers are trying to use this session to build a framework for the usage of artificial intelligence in the state. Lawmakers discussed two AI bills on Friday. Senate Bill 212, brought by Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, would establish the Right to Compute Act, which seeks to protect the individual use AI, and allow the state to restrict it in limited circumstances. It received unanimous approval on second reading, putting it one vote from Senate passage. The Montana Legislature is also taking a close look at the use of AI by health insurance companies, as Rep. Jill Cohenour, D-Helena had a hearing in the House Business and Labor Committee for House Bill 556. Cohenour has several other AI bills, including HB 514, which deals with name, image and likeness rights. The bill passed the Senate on a 97-1 vote on Friday afternoon. Cohenour also has House Bill 513, which would expand and create penalties for use of real and digitally fabricated sexually explicit images. Zolnikov is co-sponsoring all three of Cohenour's House bills. Zolnikov said SB 212 bill provides a framework for using emerging artificial intelligence technology in the state. The bill's intent is not to fully ban artificial intelligence, and Zolnikov said he wants Montana to avoid 'falling in the trap of supporting big tech versus open (source).' It's an attempt to create tech legislation that seeks to avoid freezing out small innovators and anyone else that wants to use artificial intelligence for their own purposes. And even then, there's nothing in the bill explicitly prohibiting or even discouraging a larger company that uses artificial intelligence from setting up shop in Montana, or even the state itself using it . Still, with anything new, problems can arise, and Zolnikov's bill keeps the state's ability to create regulatory language as time passes and the issue evolves. Cohenour's bills address some of these exact situations. 'There's a new world,' Zolnikov said in an interview. 'Let's open the door and then start restricting in a narrow, detailed way, not like other states that are basically trying to ban everything.' Zolnikov's bill preserves the 'right to compute,' with the bill text stating, 'Any restrictions placed by the government on the ability to privately own or make use of computational resources for lawful purposes must be limited to those demonstrably necessary and narrowly tailored to fulfill a compelling government interest.' Additionally, the bill would make any 'critical infrastructure facility' that uses artificial intelligence to run its systems have a risk management policy to fall back on if there are issues. Critical infrastructure facility is a defined term that includes things like electric substations, wastewater treatment plants, dams and oil refineries. Cohenour's AI bills fit into the framework of Zolnikov's bill, addressing some of the 'narrow' issues legislators are looking to fix. On Friday, House Bill 556, which would legislate the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare decisions, got a hearing in the House Business and Labor Committee. 'I've interacted with a couple of the insurance folks, and I asked for a little bit of information from them, and they're all running away from me now,' Cohenour said in an interview Thursday. 'So this is going to be really fascinating tomorrow. I'm sure I'm going to get dog piled on, but really, AI and algorithms should not be determining what kind of healthcare somebody gets. And that's what that bill is all about.' Cohenour's prediction was accurate. BlueCross BlueShield Montana came out strongly in opposition to the bill. The insurance company argued it was not using artificial intelligence to deny medical care, only to approve it. 'BCBSMT may use automated approval technology to approve utilization review requests but never to deny,' BlueCross BlueShield Montana spokesperson Bryan Campen wrote in an emailed response to the Daily Montanan. 'Requests not automatically approved are reviewed by a clinician.' Following the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, there was a hurricane of anger directed at health insurance providers by the public. One source of that emotion has been artificial intelligence denying claims, and Boston's NPR affiliate reported on a lawsuit filed against UnitedHealthcare alleging exactly that. Class action lawsuits have also been filed against Humana and Cigna for using artificial intelligence to deny insurance claims. While it doesn't appear BlueCross BlueShield Montana has been sued over the issue, Blue Shield of California has. A lawsuit filed last year claimed Blue Shield of California was using a 'unlawful and fraudulent Artificial-Intelligence ('AI') powered prior authorization and review system of their insureds' insurance claims.' Drew Cziok, the director of government relations for BlueCross BlueShield of Montana, spoke against Cohenour's bill, saying it was 'vague.' 'For us, AI augments human judgment,' Cziok said. 'It helps approve services faster. So sometimes this means as soon as everything is submitted, an automated system is able to review a claim and approve it on the spot.' The bill also makes AI software available for inspection by regulatory agencies. 'They should have procedures. They should open their books to make sure we aren't introducing bias when algorithms learn on their own,' Cohenour said on Friday morning. 'That is scary stuff.' The Committee did not take executive action on the bill on Friday. Cohenour's other two bills also deal with some of the narrow issues Zolnikov's legislation allows the state to regulate. House Bill 514, dealing with a person's name, image and likeness, was broadly popular in the House, passing the chamber with just one vote against it. NIL has been most commonly associated with college athletics. Courts have allowed for college athletes to be paid, saying they own their name, image and likeness and should be able to profit off of it. Cohenour's House Bill 514 would extend that legal protection to all Montanans. 'A lot of states are starting to bring this stuff forward, and we all feel like we need to get in front of it,' Cohenour said. 'I mean, it's developing so fast that we're way behind the eight ball.' The Helena representative's other bill strengthens the state's Privacy In Communications laws. It defines 'digitally fabricated,' which is stated in the proposed bill as, 'using technical means, such as artificial intelligence, to create media that realistically misrepresents an identifiable individual as engaging in conduct in which the identifiable individual did not engage.' Breaking the law would be a misdemeanor on first offense, punishable by a $500 fine, six months in county jail, or both. A subsequent offense would be a felony. It also seeks to protect against 'sextortion' which the Federal Bureau of Investigation says it has seen a rise in, specifically amongst minors. This is something Cohenour is concerned about. It has broad bipartisan support and Democratic Minority Leader Rep. Katie Sullivan, D-Missoula, House speaker Pro Tem Rep. Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, and Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Kenneth Bogner, R-Miles City, are all co-sponsors. 'Basically the (updates to the) privacy and communication law allows for you to bring an action against somebody that might do a real picture or an AI generated picture, to be able to say that that's also a crime,' Cohenour said. Other bills, including Senate Bill 452 brought by Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, would require, 'disclosures of the use of artificial intelligence by manufacturers of online media.' That bill had a committee hearing on Saturday morning. Additionally, Sen. Janet Ellis, D-Helena, introduced Senate Bill 25, which would outlaw the usage of AI by candidates or political parties within 60 days of an election, unless the media is clearly marked as generated by an artificial intelligence program. That bill passed the Senate's State Administration committee on an 8-1 vote. Sen. Laura Smith, D-Helena, also had legislation move forward to outlaw so-called 'AI deep fakes,' which the proposed bill, Senate Bill 413, refers to as 'synthetic media.' SB 413 moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in a unanimous vote.
