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City Legislative Tracking
The City of Missoula tracks proposed state legislation that may affect the City.
View and Sort City Bills (Excel)
View City's Legislative Priorities (PDF)
How to Comment
Talk to your Legislator
It's important for legislators to hear directly from you, their constituents, about pending legislation. You can find your legislators and contact them. You can also provide testimony if the bill has an upcoming hearing.
Contact the City
City officials take public comment regarding the City's stance on legislation. You can make comments to the City here. Please remember to contact your legislators directly with your opinions. Our elected officials need to hear from as many people as possible to know how their decisions affect our community.
Building Your Own List
The state's Bill Explorer allows users to create their own preference list (click the Bill Tracker link on the upper right of the screen). You can customize your list to include only the bills you are interested in and even set it up to receive notifications directly from the state. This is a great way to stay involved and informed on the issues that are most important to you.
- How can I receive alerts on important bills the City is tracking?
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You can sign up for notifications to receive email or text alerts when important bills have upcoming actions. The City tracks a lot of legislation, but will only send alerts when there is action pending on our highest-priority bills, such as property tax reform, housing initiatives, tax increment financing, mental health and crisis services, and renewable energy.
- Should I contact the City Council or the Montana Legislature about my opinions?
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You can reach out to City Council to request that the City of Missoula take a specific stance on a bill, but the City of Missoula as an organization only has one voice in Helena. Your voice has a greater impact if you contact lawmakers in Helena directly. You can find your representatives or explore multiple participation options on the legislature's website.
- How can I comment on the City's legislative priorities?
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City officials take public comment regarding the City's stance on legislation. You can make public comments here. Please remember to contact your legislators directly with your opinions. Our elected officials need to hear from as many people as possible to know how their decisions affect our community.
- Who are my legislators and how do I contact them?
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You can look up your legislators by name or by your address on the state's website, along with contact information.
- What is Tax Increment Financing?
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Tax Increment Financing is a tool that helps to fund critical community improvements in urban renewal districts. Learn more about TIF and how Missoula has used it in our flier.
Lobbying
The 2023 Legislature passed Senate Bill 358, which requires us to post this lobbying information on our website. The City of Missoula entered into a lobbying agreement with Central House Strategies on September 6, 2022. The contract period runs September 2022 through May 31, 2023 and totals $38,000. The City entered into a new agreement with Central House in 2023 that runs through FY25. The City pays $5,000 per month during the legislative interim and $9,000 when the legislature is in session. Interim work includes a variety of topics, from property tax reform to Medicaid reimbursements for health services. All bills the City lobbied on or took a position on, either through Central House Strategies or directly through staff, are available in this list. Reports are provided to City Council at their regular meetings under new business during the legislative session, January through May of odd-numbered years.