Greg Gianforte
Greg Gianforte is the Governor of Montana, in office since January 2021 and re-elected in 2024. Entries naming him record his signature on legislation passed by the Montana Legislature, including measures on the display of flags on public property and the definition of sex in state law. He appears in the record as the signing authority rather than the drafting one.
2026 Events (2)
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed SB 437 redefining sex as a fixed binary across state law, overriding transgender and intersex recognition
On March 24, 2026, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 437, which defines "sex" as a binary — male or female — based on reproductive anatomy across more than 60 provisions of state law and treats "gender" as a synonym for that biological definition rather than gender identity. The law requires transgender, nonbinary, intersex, and Two Spirit people to be designated by their sex assigned at birth on state documents such as driver's and marriage licenses. Sponsored by Sen. Carl Glimm, the measure had passed the Senate in April 2025 but sat unsigned for nearly a year before Gianforte and House Speaker Brandon Ler signed it the same day.
Montana AG Knudsen issued a cease-and-desist ordering Helena to rescind its sanctuary-city resolution under state grant-funding threat
On March 10, 2026, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen sent Helena a cease-and-desist letter declaring the city's January 26 sanctuary-city resolution a "blatant violation" of the state's 2021 ban on sanctuary jurisdictions and demanding the commission rescind or amend it within 15 days. The letter warned that continued non-compliance could trigger $10,000 fines for every five days out of compliance and the withholding of state grant funds, placing approximately $14 million in annual state and federal funding at risk. Facing that financial pressure, Helena's city commission voted 4–1 to rescind the resolution entirely at a six-hour special meeting on March 26, 2026.
2025 Events (9)
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB819, banning Pride flags from schools and government buildings
On May 13, 2025, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 819, restricting the flags that may be displayed in K-12 schools and on state and local government buildings to the U.S. flag, Montana's state flag, other official government flags, and school mascot flags — explicitly excluding Pride flags and other nongovernmental banners. Sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, the bill passed the Montana House 57-42 and the Senate 32-18.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB682 imposing liability on gender-affirming care providers and framing the care as fraudulent
On May 13, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 682, sponsored by Rep. Greg Kmetz, which imposes heightened civil liability on medical providers who deliver gender-affirming care and characterizes that care as harmful and fraudulent. The law revises Montana statute governing gender transition treatment and follows the state's 2023 ban on such care for minors (SB99) and a related 2025 liability measure, Senate Bill 218.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB690 excluding non-affirmation of a child's gender identity from child abuse and neglect definitions
On May 13, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 690, sponsored by Rep. Bill Mercer, which revises the state's child abuse and neglect statutes to exclude "referring to or raising a child in a manner consistent with the child's biological sex, including in the making of related mental health or medical decisions" from the legal definitions of abuse, neglect, and physical or psychological harm. The law passed the Montana House 57-42 and the Senate 34-16 before reaching the governor's desk.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB471, requiring parental opt-in before LGBTQ-related school instruction
On May 1, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed HB471, which creates an "identity instruction" category covering lessons on gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation and bars students from participating without prior written parental consent, revocable at any time. The law requires schools to give 5-14 school days' advance notice before such instruction, publish annual notice of covered courses, and make curriculum materials available for public inspection, while barring use of instructional materials from abortion service providers. It took effect July 1, 2025 and is being challenged in state court by the Montana School Counselors Association and the ACLU of Montana.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB400 'Free to Speak Act' shielding refusal to use transgender students' pronouns from discipline
On May 1, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 400, the "Free to Speak Act," which bars public schools and state agencies from disciplining students, teachers, or state employees who refuse to use a person's preferred name, pronouns, or gender identity that does not match their sex assigned at birth. Sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, the law passed the Senate 28-20, with three Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition, and creates a private right of action for people punished for refusing to use another person's preferred name or pronouns. Opponents, including tribal representatives, school administrators, and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, said the measure legitimizes harassment of transgender students.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB655, letting foster and adoption agencies opt out of LGBTQ+-inclusive training on religious grounds
On May 1, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed HB655 into law, prohibiting state agencies and foster or adoptive-placement entities from taking discriminatory action against foster and adoptive parents who decline, on religious grounds, to affirm LGBTQ+-inclusive training, policies, or a child's gender identity or sexual orientation. The bill passed the Montana House 59-40 and Senate 29-19 before Gianforte signed it into law.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB638, banning diversity statements referencing sexual orientation and gender identity in state hiring
On May 1, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed HB638, "Revise human rights laws," which bars state and local government agencies from requiring, requesting, or soliciting a "diversity statement" from job applicants or employees and prohibits granting preferential consideration based on one. The law defines a diversity statement as any submission promoting differential treatment based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, or gender identity, and permits agencies to accept such statements only to the minimum extent federal law requires. Sponsored by Rep. Randyn Gregg, the bill leaves existing anti-discrimination and anti-harassment compliance policies in place.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB300 barring transgender athletes from women's and girls' school sports
On March 27, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 300, which bars transgender women and girls from competing on female K-12 and university sports teams based on sex assigned at birth rather than gender identity. Sponsored by Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, the law took effect October 1, 2025 and made Montana one of at least 25 states with such a restriction. Gianforte signed it the same day as a companion measure, House Bill 121, restricting bathroom and locker-room access by sex assigned at birth.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB121, restricting bathrooms and changing rooms to sex assigned at birth
On March 27, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 121, requiring restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping areas in public schools, correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, domestic-violence shelters, and other public buildings to be designated for use based on a person's external genitalia present at birth. The law, sponsored by state Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, took effect immediately upon signature. The ACLU of Montana sued the same day, and a state district court later blocked its enforcement with a preliminary injunction.
2023 Events (6)
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB 359 banning drag story hours and restricting drag performances before minors
On May 22, 2023, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 359 into law, banning "drag story hours" at state-funded schools and libraries and restricting "sexually oriented performances" in front of minors on public property or at businesses. The law defines a covered drag performer by a "flamboyant or parodic" persona and "glamorous or exaggerated costumes and makeup," and imposes an outright ban at any location receiving state funding. It was sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, and heavily amended before passage.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed SB 458 defining sex as binary, eliminating legal recognition of transgender and intersex residents
On May 20, 2023, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 458 into law, inserting binary, reproduction-based definitions of "male," "female," and "sex" into roughly 40 sections of state code. The statute defines sex strictly by chromosomes and gamete production "under normal development," eliminating legal recognition of transgender, nonbinary, and many intersex Montanans on documents such as birth certificates and driver's licenses. The bill, drafted in part by the Montana Family Foundation, passed the Legislature largely along party lines.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed SB518, requiring parental permission for affirming pronouns and enabling forced outing of trans students
On May 19, 2023, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 518, a "parental rights" measure requiring school personnel to obtain written parental permission before using a name or pronoun for a student that does not align with the student's sex. The law also protects staff who refuse to use a student's affirmed pronouns and bars schools from withholding information about a child's health, including gender-identity information, from parents. Advocates warned the measure enables schools to out transgender and non-binary students to their families without the student's consent.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB 303 letting providers refuse gender-affirming care and abortion on moral grounds
On May 3, 2023, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 303, the "Medical Ethics and Diversity Act," permitting medical practitioners, institutions, and insurers to refuse to participate in or pay for health services on "ethical, moral, or religious" grounds. Sponsored by Rep. Amy Regier, R-Kalispell, the law names no patient right to obtain care when a provider objects, and its sponsor identified abortion, gender-affirming care, and physician aid in dying among the intended targets. It passed the Republican-majority Legislature largely along party lines.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed SB99 banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors
On April 28, 2023, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 99, the "Youth Health Protection Act," prohibiting health care providers from offering puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures to transgender minors for the treatment of gender dysphoria. Sponsored by Sen. John Fuller and passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature along party lines, the law threatened providers with license suspension and was scheduled to take effect Oct. 1, 2023.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB 361 declaring misgendering of transgender students not discrimination
On April 25, 2023, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 361, sponsored by Rep. Brandon Ler, R-Savage, establishing in state law that referring to a fellow student by a sex or name they do not claim — misgendering and deadnaming — is not legally discriminatory behavior. The measure passed the House 66-32 and the Senate 30-20 on party-line votes. Opponents, including LGBTQ+ groups, Democratic legislators, and transgender Montanans, said it legalizes harassment by carving transgender and nonbinary students out of discrimination protections other students keep.
2021 Events (2)
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB 112 barring transgender athletes from women's school sports
On May 7, 2021, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 112, sponsored by Rep. John Fuller, requiring K-16 school and university sports teams to be organized by sex assigned at birth and barring transgender women and girls from competing on female teams. The governor's office signed the bill without a public ceremony or statement; the signing was first reported after the bill's status updated on the Legislature's tracking system.
Montana Gov. Gianforte signed SB 280, requiring surgery and a court order to amend a birth certificate's sex marker
On April 30, 2021, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 280, sponsored by Sen. Carl Glimm, reversing a 2017 Department of Public Health and Human Services rule that had let transgender Montanans update the sex designation on their birth certificate to match their gender identity. SB 280 instead required DPHHS to receive a court order confirming the person underwent gender-affirmation surgery before it would amend the sex marker, and took effect immediately upon signing.