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SB 526MONTANASession 2025State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Montana establishes grant program to fund community health aide training at tribal colleges

Original title: Establish the community health aide provider education grant program

Last action · May 23, 2025: (S) Died in ProcessSponsor: Jonathan Windy Boy

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Proposed

Montana establishes the community health aide provider education grant program, administered by the commissioner of higher education, to fund training programs for community health aide and dental health aide providers at tribal colleges starting July 1, 2025.

Why it matters

Tribal colleges in Montana become eligible for up to $3 million total in state grants to start or maintain health aide training programs, with $1.5 million initially allocated from the general fund for the 2025 .

Background
  • The community health aide program was originally developed in Alaska under the Indian Health Service in the 1960s to address rural healthcare disparities. context
  • Montana tribal communities face severe primary care and dental health professional shortages, leading to restricted health service access. context

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Tribal colleges

Tribal colleges are eligible to apply for up to $3 million in grants to develop, maintain, or expand education programs for health aide providers and must submit outcome reports.

Directly affected

American Indian and Alaska Native citizens in Montana

Citizens experience changes in local access to primary care, oral health care, and behavioral health care services provided by newly trained community health aides.

Directly affected

Commissioner of higher education

The office is tasked with creating, administering, and funding the grant program and submitting annual reports to legislative interim committees.

Key Facts

  • Establishes a community health aide provider education grant program administered by the commissioner of higher education.
  • Allows tribal colleges located in the state to apply for grants to expand, maintain, or develop education programs for community health aide or dental health aide providers.
  • Sets maximum grant award targets of up to $1 million for startup costs for a new program and up to $500,000 annually for up to 4 years for ongoing maintenance and data collection.
  • Limits the maximum total amount any single recipient may receive under the program to $3 million.
Show all 8 facts
  • Allocates $1.5 million from the general fund to the commissioner of higher education for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025.
  • Requires grant recipients to evaluate and report on program outcomes, including graduate numbers, provider certifications, patient service categories, chronic disease management, and Medicaid utilization.
  • Requires the commissioner of higher education to submit an annual report on program administration and outcomes to the education interim committee and the children, families, health, and human services interim committee.
  • Requires the secretary of state to send a copy of the act to each federally recognized tribal government in Montana.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to apply for the education grants?
Tribal colleges located in the state of Montana may apply for grants to expand, maintain, or develop education programs for community health aide or dental health aide providers.
How much funding can a recipient receive?
Recipients can receive up to a one-time amount of $1 million for startup costs and up to $500,000 per year for up to 4 years for ongoing maintenance, up to a maximum total of $3 million.
What reporting requirements are placed on grant recipients?
Grantees must evaluate and report on annual graduates, federal certifications, practice settings, patient populations, cost-effectiveness, and population health data such as emergency medical service utilization, chronic disease management, Medicaid utilization, and clinic wait times.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died in committee.

Procedural history

22 actions
  1. May 23, 2025Senate
    (S) Died in Process
  2. Mar 17, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Printed
  3. Mar 14, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Received
  4. Mar 12, 2025Senate
    (S) Missed Deadline for General Bill Transmittal
  5. Mar 5, 2025Senate
    (S) Motion
  6. Mar 4, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Tabled in Committee
Show 16 earlier actions
  1. Mar 4, 2025Senate
    (S) Hearing
  2. Feb 27, 2025Senate
    (S) 1st Reading
  3. Feb 26, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Referred to Committee
  4. Feb 26, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Requested
  5. Feb 26, 2025SenateIntroduced
    (S) Introduced
  6. Feb 23, 2025House
    (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
  7. Feb 23, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Assembly
  8. Feb 23, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
  9. Feb 22, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
  10. Feb 20, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Edit
  11. Feb 19, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Legal Review
  12. Jan 7, 2025House
    (LC) Draft Taken Off Hold
  13. Dec 24, 2024House
    (LC) Draft On Hold
  14. Dec 24, 2024House
    (LC) Draft On Hold
  15. Dec 24, 2024House
    (LC) Draft On Hold
  16. Dec 15, 2024House
    (LC) Drafter Assigned

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Jonathan Windy BoySenate · District 16DemocraticPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Adoption of Alaska Model for Montana Tribes

The bill's findings explicitly draw upon the long-standing Alaska community health aide program established under the Indian Health Service to address healthcare disparities.

Indian Health Service

Connected Entities

Jonathan Windy Boy, Children, families, health, and human services interim committee, Commissioner of higher education and 2 more
PersonJonathan Windy Boy“Democratic senator representing District 16 and primary sponsor of SB 526”Map →
OrganizationChildren, families, health, and human services interim committee“Receives annual reports on program administration and outcomes”Map →
OrganizationCommissioner of higher education“Administers the community health aide provider education grant program and recei”Map →
OrganizationEducation interim committee“Receives annual reports on program administration and outcomes”Map →
OrganizationSecretary of state“Tasked with sending a copy of the act to each federally recognized tribal govern”Map →

Sources

Open source document

bills.legmt.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
  • Controversy15
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

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