Tanner Smith in MT legislative records

On Abortion: Restrict unborn child from "dismemberment abortion"

HB721: Restrict unborn child from dismemberment abortion.Montana Free Press 5/16/23: The bill bars "dismemberment abortion," a nonmedical term defined as "the use of any instrument, medicine, or drug" to intentionally terminate pregnancies and the "insertion of grasping instruments" to remove a fetus.KTVH News, 5/18/23: A Montana Court granted Planned Parenthood's temporary restraining order on the enforcement of HB 721 [because] the law may be in violation of the Montana Constitution. HB 721 prohibits the use of "dilation and evacuation" abortions, a typical form of abortion after 12 weeks. The President of Planned Parenthood of Montana said, "The court has recognized the grave harm these anti-abortion laws will have on people seeking basic health care. Politics has no place in the exam room."

Legislative Summary: Passed House 67-31-2 on Mar/3/23; State Rep. Tanner Smith voted YES; passed Senate 31-19-0 on Apr/7/23; signed by Gov. Gianforte on May/16/23.

Source: Montana State Legislature voting records HB721 Mar 3, 2023

On Families & Children: Let school districts adopt stricter policies on obscenity

HB234: Revise dissemination of obscene material to minors laws

Montana Free Press summaries: State Rep. Rob Stutz (D) said that the final version of HB 234 changed "very little" in the law that has defined obscenity and its criminal charges for the past 50 years. The bill does grant school districts the ability to adopt stricter local policies regarding obscenity (7/27/23).

The support for HB 234 came from the self-styled parental rights movement. The bill's opponents countered that the push for HB 234 is directly tied to "anti-LGBTQ sentiment. These censorship bills have popped up in response to the availability of materials and books that support LGBTQ youth, especially trans youth. Marginalizing and intimidating LGBTQ youth and cutting them off from information is a form of bullying."(1/19/23).

Legislative Summary: Passed Senate 35-15-0 on Apr/8/23; passed House 66-33-1 on Apr/26/23; State Rep. Tanner Smith voted YES; signed by Gov. Gianforte on May/8/23

Source: Montana State Legislature voting records HB234 Apr 26, 2022

On Government Reform: Add county-level race to post-election audits

HB172: Revise laws related to post-election audits:

Montana Free Press summaries: House Bill 172 would enable counties to add a county-level race to their post-election audits. Bedey has argued that adding a local race to the mix would offer another level of verification and help instill more trust in county-level results. (3/9/23)

Despite bipartisan support and favorable testimony from county and state election officials, HB 172 failed to win a yes vote [from some legislators. One State Rep. noted, "the question at the heart of Montana's 2023 election policy debate centers on trust--namely, "whether trust has been broken or not." Following his loss in 2020, Pres. Trump's legal challenges and false assertions about widespread voter fraud "metastasized" into a social movement.(1/30/23)

Legislative Summary: Passed House 81-19-0 on Jan/25/23; State Rep. Tanner Smith voted YES; passed Senate 49-1-0 on Mar/23/23; signed by Governor Greg Gianforte on Apr/19/23

Source: Montana State Legislature voting records HB172 Jan 25, 2023

The above quotations are from Legislative voting records for Montana House and Senate. Click here for other excerpts from Legislative voting records for Montana House and Senate. Click here for other excerpts by Tanner Smith. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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Page last updated: Nov 26, 2023