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Montana House of Representatives

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Montana House of
Representatives
SLP-Infobox Image-Color.png
General Information
Party control:  Republican
Session start:  No regular legislative session
Session end:  No regular legislative session
Term length:  2 years
Term limits:  4 terms (8 years)
Redistricting:  Commission
Salary:  $128.86/legislative day + per diem
Members
Total:  100
Democrats:  39
Republicans:  54
Other:  0
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
Speaker:  Brandon Ler (R)
Maj. Leader:  Steve Fitzpatrick (R)
Min. Leader:  Katie Sullivan (D)
Elections
Last election:  November 5, 2024
Next election:  November 3, 2026


The Montana House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Montana State Legislature. Alongside the Montana State Senate, it forms the legislative branch of the Montana state government and works alongside the governor of Montana to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Montana House of Representatives include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Montana House of Representatives meets in the state capitol building in Helena, Montana.

  • All 100 seats in the Montana House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. Click to read more »
  • In 2018, the chamber's Republican majority decreased from 59-41 to 58-42.
  • Montana has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of January 30, 2026, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, Montana had a divided government. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.

    • This page contains the following information on the Montana House of Representatives.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Montana House of Representatives as of January 2026:

    Partisan composition, Montana House of Representatives
    As of January 2026
    PartyMembers
    Democratic42
    Republican58
    Other0
    Vacancies0
    Total100

    Members

    Leadership

    The speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body.[1]

    Current leadership and members

    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2025[2]
    SalaryPer diem
    $128.86/legislative day$206/day

    Swearing in dates

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    Montana legislators assume office the first Monday of January following the election. If January 1 is a Monday, legislators assume office on the first Wednesday.

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    To be eligible to serve in the Montana House of Representatives, a candidate must be:[3]

    • A resident of the state for at least one year next preceding the general election
    • A resident of the county for six months preceding the general election if it contains one or more districts or of the district if it contains all or parts of more than one county.

    Historical party control

    Republicans won control of the Montana House of Representatives in 2010. In 2024, they won a 58-42 majority.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Montana House following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Montana House of Representatives election results: 1992-2024

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22 '24
    Democrats 47 33 35 41 42 47 50 49 50 32 37 41 41 42 33 32 42
    Republicans 53 67 65 59 58 53 50 50 50 68 63 59 59 58 67 68 58
    Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in Montana held a state government trifecta for 10 years between 1992 and 2017. The table below shows state government trifectas in Montana from 1992 to 2019.

    Montana Party Control: 1992-2026
    No Democratic trifectas  •  Sixteen years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
    Governor R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R
    Senate D D D R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D R R R R R R R R R R R R S S R R S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

    Elections

    Elections by year

    Montana state representatives serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. Montana holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2026

    See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2026

    Elections for the Montana House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline is March 4, 2026.

    2024

    See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2024

    Elections for the Montana House of Representatives took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was June 4, 2024. The filing deadline was March 11, 2024.

    Heading into the 2024 elections, Republicans held a 68-32 majority. After the election, the Republican majority was 58-42.

    Montana House of Representatives
    Party As of November 5, 2024 After November 6, 2024
         Democratic Party 32 42
         Republican Party 68 58
    Total 100 100

    2022

    See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2022

    Elections for the Montana House of Representatives took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 7, 2022. The filing deadline was March 14, 2022.

    In the 2022 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Montana House of Representatives from 67-33 to 68-32.

    Montana House of Representatives
    Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
         Democratic Party 33 32
         Republican Party 67 68
    Total 100 100

    2020

    See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of Montana House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 2, 2020. The filing deadline was March 9, 2020.

    In the 2020 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Montana House of Representatives from 58-42 to 67-33.

    Montana House of Representatives
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 42 33
         Republican Party 58 67
    Total 100 100

    2018

    See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2018

    Elections for the Montana House of Representatives took place in 2018. An open primary took place on June 5, 2018. The general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was March 12, 2018.[4]

    In the 2018 elections, the Republican majority in the Montana House of Representatives was reduced from 59-41 to 58-42.

    Montana House of Representatives
    Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
         Democratic Party 41 42
         Republican Party 59 58
    Total 100 100

    2016

    See also: Montana House of Representatives elections, 2016

    Elections for the Montana House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 14, 2016. All 100 seats in the Montana House of Representatives were up for election in 2016.

    Heading into the election, Republicans held a 59-41 majority. No partisan change occurred in the election.

    Montana House of Representatives
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 41 41
         Republican Party 59 59
    Total 100 100

    Term limits

    See also: State legislatures with term limits

    The Montana House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Montana voters approved CI-64 in 1992. CI-64 created Section 8 of Article IV of the Montana Constitution, which says that state representatives cannot serve eight or more years in any 16-year period.

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the Montana State Legislature, the board of county commissioners of the county that comprises the legislative district of the vacant seat must select a replacement. The secretary of state must notify the board of county commissioners and the state party that holds the vacant seat no later than seven days after being informed of the vacancy. The county central committee has 45 days after receiving notice from the secretary of state to provide a list of candidates to the board of county commissioners. The board must select a replacement no later than 15 days after receiving the list of candidates. If the legislature is in session, the selection must be made no later than five days after receiving a candidate list.[12] Any person selected to fill a House seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term. Any person selected to fill a Senate seat serves until the next scheduled general election.[13]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Montana Const. Art. 5, Sec 7 and Montana Code Ann. §5-2-402

    District map

    See also: Montana state legislative districts

    The state of Montana has 150 legislative districts. Each district elects one representative. The state Senate has 50 districts and the state House has 100 districts.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Montana

    Montana uses a non-politician commission for congressional and state legislative redistricting. This commission comprises five members. The majority and minority leaders of each chamber of the state legislature select one member a piece. These four members then select a fifth to serve as the commission's chair. If the first four commissioners are unable to agree on an appointment, the Montana Supreme Court may select the fifth member.[14]

    The Montana Constitution requires that no commissioner be a public official. State statutes require that two of the first four commissioners "must be selected from certain counties (roughly, in the Montana Rockies to the west) and two must be selected from the rest of the state (to the east)."[14]

    The state's Districting and Apportionment Commission must complete congressional redistricting within 90 days of receiving federal census data. It must prepare a legislative redistricting plan "by the 10th legislative day of the first regular session after the federal census results are available. The Legislature then has 30 days to make recommendations to the commission. Within 30 days of receiving the Legislature's recommendations, the commission must file the redistricting plan with the Secretary of State, and it becomes law. Although the commission may modify the plan to accommodate the Legislature's recommendations, it is not required to do so."[15]

    The state constitution requires that districts be both contiguous and compact.[14]

    “ The ... commission has stated that it may gauge compactness by looking to a district's general appearance, and the degree to which it fosters "functional compactness" through "travel and transportation, communication, and geography." The commission has similarly determined that it will, in drawing legislative districts, consider the boundary lines of political subdivisions (counties, cities, towns, school districts, Indian reservations, neighborhood commissions, and others); follow geographic boundaries; and consider keeping intact communities of interest (based on "Indian reservations, urban[, suburban, or rural] interests, . . . neighborhoods, trade areas, geographic location, communication and transportation networks, media markets, social, cultural and economic interests, or occupations and lifestyles").[16] ”
    —All About Redistricting

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in Montana after the 2020 census

    Upon completion of the 2020 census, Montana will draft and enact new district maps.

    Congressional redistricting

    On June 10, 2021, the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission released these proposed timelines.[17][18] The deadline for the commission to approve a congressional map was Nov. 14, 2021.[19]

    Projected congressional redistricting timeline for Montana, 2020 cycle
    Date Event
    April 1, 2020 Federal decennial census
    May 25, 2021 Commission meeting
    June 10, 2021 Commission meeting
    July 8-9, 2021 Commission meeting
    August 16, 2021 P.L. 94‐171 Legacy Format Summary Files released to states by this date
    August 17, 2021 Commission meeting
    September 30, 2021 P.L. 94‐171 User‐Friendly Format Summary Files delivered to official state recipients (governors, legislative leaders, redistricting commissions, state liaisons) by this date
    90 days from receipt of data (Autumn/Winter 2021) By this time, the Commission will draft/consider congressional plans, hold at least one public hearing and adopt congressional plan (5‐1‐108(1), MCA), vote on the final plan, and file plan with Secretary of State


    Legislative redistricting

    The Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission released an overview of the state legislative redistricting process, which can be viewed here. A summary of that process is presented below:[20]

    Phases of the Montana State Legislative Redistricting Process
    Phase Timeframe Key milestone
    Phase 1 May - June, 2022 Set tentative timeline and process for state legislative redistricting
    Phase 2 July - Aug., 2022 Begin public hearings on draft state legislative maps
    Phase 3 Sept. - Oct., 2022 Complete initial public hearings by late September
    Phase 4 Nov. - Dec., 2022 Vote to submit proposed state legislative plan to the 2023 Legislature
    Phase 5 Jan. - Mar., 2023 Submit state legislative redistricting plan to 2023 Legislature by the 10th Legislative Day


    The Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission also announced a schedule of nine hearings in August and September 2022 to review draft proposals for state House district boundaries. The schedule of public hearing dates and locations is below:[21]

    Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission public hearings, 2022-23
    Date City
    August 25, 2022 Pablo (cancelled)
    August 26, 2022 Missoula
    August 30, 2022 Zoom
    September 1, 2022 Bozeman
    September 7, 2022 Great Falls
    September 9, 2022 Zoom
    September 15, 2022 Crow Agency
    September 16, 2022 Billings
    September 19, 2022 Zoom


    The Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission announced a schedule of meetings and work sessions in November and December 2022 to discuss draft proposals for state House districts and select a final commission-approved legislative map. The schedule of these meetings is listed below:[22]

    Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission public hearings, 2022
    Date Meeting Type
    November 10, 2022 Zoom only
    November 28 - December 1, 2022 Work Session
    December 10, 2022 Public Hearing
    December 15, 2022 Work Session
    December 21, 2022

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Montana House of Representatives has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. Information on legislation provided below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. The tracker is fully interactive. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read its text in full and see its voting history. You can click the headings to sort the content in the column. You can also rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Finally, in the bottom-left corner of the tracker is a magnifying glass, which, when clicked, will allow you to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in Montana by year

    2025

    See also: 2025 Montana legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

    In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 6, 2025, and adjourn on April 30, 2025.



    About legislative sessions in Montana

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[28] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    Article V of the Montana Constitution establishes when the Montana State Legislature, of which the House is a part, is to be in session. Section 6 of Article V states that the Legislature is to meet in every odd-numbered year in a regular session of at most ninety legislative days. However, Section 6 allows any Legislature to increase the limit on the length of any subsequent session. Section 6 also allows for the Legislature to meet in special session when convened by the Governor of Montana or when a special session is requested by a majority of the Legislature's members.

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, term limits, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-No party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Montana are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members present in both chambers.

    Two-thirds of members present in both chambers must vote to override a veto. If all members are in attendance, this is 67 of the 100 members in the Montana House of Representatives and 34 of the 50 members in the Montana State Senate. Montana is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

    According to Article VI, Section 10 of the Montana Constitution, if the governor vetoes a bill that had the support of at least two-thirds of members after adjournment, the secretary of state sends a notification by mail to legislators with instructions on how to override the veto. Members have 30 days to respond.

    Authority: Article VI, Section 10 of the Montana Constitution.

    "(2) The governor may return any bill to the legislature with his recommendation for amendment. If the legislature passes the bill in accordance with the governor's recommendation, it shall again return the bill to the governor for his reconsideration. The governor shall not return a bill for amendment a second time.
    (3) If after receipt of a veto message, two-thirds of the members of each house present approve the bill, it shall become law."

    Role in state budget

    See also: Montana state budget and finances
    Montana on Public Policy Logo-one line-on Ballotpedia.png
    Check out Ballotpedia articles about policy in your state on:
    Budgets • Civil liberties • Education • Elections • Energy • Environment • Healthcare • Pensions

    The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[29]

    1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in April and August.
    2. Agencies submit their budget requests to the governor in June and September.
    3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature by November 15. Governors-elect submit budget proposals by January 7.
    4. The legislature typically adopts a budget in April. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The biennium begins July 1.

    Montana is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[29][30]

    The governor is statutorily required to submit a balanced budget proposal. The legislature is constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget.[29]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in Montana state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Montana House of Representatives has 16 standing committees:

    See also

    Elections Montana State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    Montana State Flag-Close Up.jpg
    State Houses-Tile image.png
    State Courts-Tile image.png

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Montana Legislature, "House of Representatives, 2013," accessed June 2, 2014
    2. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
    3. ↑ Montana State Constitution, "Qualifications for running for legislature," accessed December 17, 2013(Referenced Article 5 Section 4)
    4. ↑ Montana Secretary of State, "2018 Election Calendar," accessed June 22, 2017
    5. ↑ Follow the Money, "Montana 2012 - Candidates," accessed June 2, 2014
    6. ↑ Follow the Money, "Montana 2010 - Candidates," accessed June 2, 2014
    7. ↑ Follow the Money, "Montana 2008 - Candidates," accessed June 2, 2014
    8. ↑ Follow the Money, "Montana 2006 - Candidates," accessed June 2, 2014
    9. ↑ Follow the Money, "Montana 2004 - Candidates," accessed June 2, 2014
    10. ↑ Follow the Money, "Montana 2002 - Candidates," accessed June 2, 2014
    11. ↑ Follow the Money, "Montana 2000 - Candidates," accessed June 2, 2014
    12. ↑ Montana Legislature, "Montana Code Annotated," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statute 5-2-402 (3) (a)-(c))
    13. ↑ Montana Legislature, "Montana Code Annotated," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statute 5-2-405 (1)-(2))
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 All About Redistricting, "Montana," accessed April 29, 2015
    15. ↑ Montana State Legislature, "Districting and Apportionment Commission," accessed October 6, 2021
    16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    17. ↑ Montana Legislature, "DRAFT: POSSIBLE TIMELINE FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTING, 2021 – 2022," accessed July 12, 2021
    18. ↑ Montana Legislature, "DRAFT -- POSSIBLE TIMELINE FOR STATE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTING, 2021 – 2023," accessed July 12, 2021
    19. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Montana Commission Delays Choosing Congressional Districts," October 30, 2021
    20. ↑ Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission, "Phases of the State Legislative Redistricting Process," accessed August 25, 2022
    21. ↑ Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission, "Meetings," accessed August 25, 2022
    22. ↑ Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission, "Meetings," accessed November 23, 2022
    23. ↑ Associated Press, "Montana Legislature: Top issues for 2015 session," January 22, 2015
    24. ↑ LegiScan, "MT SB289," accessed May 1, 2015
    25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 The Montana Standard, "Bullock signs campaign finance bill into law, forces 'dark money' groups to report," April 22, 2015
    26. ↑ Billings Gazette, " Legislature again prepare to debate divisive issues," January 6, 2013
    27. ↑ Montana Legislature, "2011 Regular Session," accessed June 2, 2014
    28. ↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
    30. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
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