The Session Live at Free Press Fest: Looking ahead the 2025 Montana Legislature
Release Date: 09/16/2024
The Session | 2025 | Week 10 | Wall of Lava
The Session
As lawmakers approach a much-needed break, host Shaylee Ragar breaks down the pre-transmittal marathon of hearings—along with how state politics fits in with national discourse—with Tom Lutey and Eric Dietrich of Montana Free Press.
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The Session | 2025 | Week 9 | Blasted Bills and the Property Tax Debate Continues
The Session
This week, host Shaylee Ragar goes over the American Indian Caucus's bills——including a couple that have been blasted back into action after being tabled in committee—with Montana Free Press and ICT's Kaiden Forman-Webster. She also breaks down the latest developments on property tax legislation with Eric Dietrich, also with Montana Free Press.
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The Session | 2025 | Week 8 | Hot Buttered Shenanigans
The Session
Montana Free Press's Tom Lutey and Montana Public Radio's Austin Amestory detail newly developing and unexpected coalitions in the Senate—and the dramatic sessions they inspire—along with education policy that could impact the state's public and private schools alike.
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The Session | 2025 | Week 7 | Big Feelings About Wolves and the Environment
The Session
Montana Public Radio and Montana Free Press Reporters Ellis Juhlin and Amanda Eggert break down the major environmental flashpoints emerging at this year's legislative session with host Shaylee Ragar. In particular, they dig into bills around wolves and the controversy around the Montana Environmental Policy Act, incited by the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Held v. Montana case.
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The Session | 2025 | Week 6 | Tracking Bills, Abortion, and More Drama in the Senate
The Session
Host Shaylee Ragar sits down with Montana Free Press's Mara Silvers and Eric Dietrich to get into the latest flareup of drama in the Senate, abortion policy after CI-128, and a new tool to track legislation from MTFP.
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The Session | 2025 | Week 5 | An Everything Bagel of Chaos
The Session
Over a month in to the 2025 legislative session, and lawmaking is well under way. Host Shaylee Ragar and reporters Tom Lutey and Mara Silvers of Montana Free Press break down an ethics investigation derailing business in the Senate and bills related to transgender Montanans that seem to be forging ahead despite that stalling.
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The Session | 2025 | Week 4 | Throwing Spaghetti and Squeezing Balloons
The Session
As Montana's legislative session closes out it's third week and approaches a month of lawmaking, Host Shaylee Ragar and reporters Mara Silvers and Eric Dietrich dig into policy. As legislators throw spaghetti at the wall to see what will make it through committee, the three discuss the specifics of debates over Medicaid expansion and property tax relief.
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The Session | 2025 | Week 3 | New Website, New Problems and How to Get Engaged
The Session
Host Shaylee Ragar discusses tech issues at the Capitol with reporters Austin Amestoy and Zeke Lloyd. They break down what that means for how the public and reporters alike can follow and engage with the action in Helena, along with the bigger picture of public comment during committee meetings and a new development on legislative junque files.
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The Session | 2025 | Week 2 | Sausage Making and an Early GOP Divide
The Session
The 69th Montana Legislature is officially under way. This week, host Shaylee Ragar and reporters Tom Lutey and Mara Silvers dig in to how the—literal and metaphorical—sausage gets made and what an early GOP divide could mean for the rest of the session.
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The Session | 2025 | We're back. So are newly elected party leaders.
The Session
The Session is back for the 69th Montana Legislature. This week, we preview lawmakers work that starts January 6. Reporters talk about new party leaders, legislative rules, and how the governor wants to spend public money.
info_outlineThe 2025 Montana Legislature elected by voters in November will meet in January to consider new laws and develop a two-year state budget. Already, it’s clear what some of the key issues of the session will be — among them housing affordability, tax policy, education funding and the potential renewal of Montana’s expanded Medicaid health coverage program. The Session podcast team took some time at the inaugural Montana Free Press Fest, held in Missoula Sept. 6-8, to sit down and discuss what we can see about next year’s legislative session from here in front of a live audience.