Senate Midsession Report
Senator Forrest Mandeville, Senate District 28
The 2025 legislative session reached its half-way point in early March. Most bills are required to have passed either the House or Senate by this point, so we typically end the first half with long days hearing many bills, and this year was no different.
A primary goal of mine and most other Republicans is to pass tax relief and reform measures. Property taxes are growing too quickly. We need to keep money in taxpayers’ hands and simplify the tax system. To this end I am proud the Senate has passed SB 90 which will provide ongoing money to offset property tax on homes valued at less than $1 million. This bill came through the Local Government Committee, which I chair, and I was able to work with the sponsor to make sure the bill kept moving. The House has also passed several tax relief bills that I am looking forward to seeing in the second half of the session.
Another theme of the session has been judicial reform. The Republican Caucus has advanced many bills aimed at ensuring a proper separation of powers and judicial transparency.
One area of work that I am especially proud to be working on is housing availability and property rights protection. We passed a lot of pro-housing bills last session that garnered national attention as the “Montana Miracle”, and we are building on those policies this session.
It has been an interesting session so far, but I remain optimistic that we will deliver on our promises to Montanans. The budget will be a major focus on the second half of the session as well as coordinating bills that pass both the House and Senate.
It is an honor to work for you in Helena. I am looking forward to finishing the good work we have started.
Please feel free to contact me about any issues important to you. You can contact me at (406) 690-1933, or by email at forrest.mandeville@legmt.gov.