# Montana HB 168: Provide state funding for preschool children with disabilities Montana HB 168, Provide state funding for preschool children with disabilities, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Jonathan Karlen (Democrat); status signed, last action 2025-05-19 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB168-2025 - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Montana HB 168 - State: Montana - Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) - Title: Provide state funding for preschool children with disabilities - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-01-10 - Last action: 2025-05-19, Chapter Number Assigned - Sponsor: Jonathan Karlen (Democrat) - Cosponsors: 0 - Subjects: Education - School Finance, Developmental Disabilities, Education - K-12, Appropriations - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 7 (301 yes, 196 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 2 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Count and admit preschoolers with disabilities: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2025, districts include preschool children with disabilities in funding counts (ANB) when they receive district special education. The count uses the child’s total hours of instruction and converts hours into quarter-, half-, three‑quarter-, or full‑time equivalents. Trustees may… - Exceptional admissions don't change funding counts: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, admitting a student under the board’s exceptional‑circumstances authority does not by itself change ANB funding counts. District funding counts change only when the student meets the specific ANB rules. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Jonathan Karlen (Democrat), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-22 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 29 | 21 | | | 2025-04-18 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 27 | 23 | | | 2025-04-17 | Senate | Take HB 168 from Comm-Novak | pass | 27 | 23 | | | 2025-04-16 | Senate | Take HB 168 from Comm-Novak | fail | 24 | 26 | | | 2025-04-05 | House | Do Pass | pass | 64 | 34 | | | 2025-04-04 | House | Do Pass | pass | 63 | 37 | | | 2025-01-30 | House | Do Pass | pass | 67 | 32 | | ## Actions (41) - 2025-05-19: Chapter Number Assigned (House) - 2025-05-13: Signed by Governor (House) - 2025-05-07: Transmitted to Governor (House) - 2025-05-07: Signed by President (Senate) - 2025-05-06: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2025-04-25: Returned from Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-22: Sent to Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-22: 3rd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-18: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-17: Take from Committee; Place on 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-16: Motion (Senate) - 2025-04-15: Tabled in Committee (Senate) - 2025-04-14: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-04-07: Referred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-04-07: 1st Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-05: Transmitted to Senate (House) - 2025-04-05: 3rd Reading (House) - 2025-04-04: Revised Fiscal Note Printed (House) - 2025-04-04: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-04-03: Revised Fiscal Note Signed (House) - 2025-04-03: Sponsor Rebuttal to Fiscal Note Signed (House) - 2025-04-03: Sponsor Rebuttal to Fiscal Note Received (House) - 2025-04-03: Sponsor Rebuttal to Fiscal Note Requested (House) - 2025-04-03: Fiscal Note Unsigned (House) - 2025-03-31: Revised Fiscal Note Requested (House) - 2025-03-31: Committee Report (House) - 2025-03-31: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-01-31: Hearing (House) - 2025-01-30: Rereferred to Committee (House) - 2025-01-30: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-01-28: Committee Report (House) - 2025-01-27: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-01-27: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-01-22: Fiscal Note Printed (House) - 2025-01-21: Fiscal Note Signed (House) - 2025-01-20: Fiscal Note Received (House) - 2025-01-14: Hearing (House) - 2025-01-10: 1st Reading (House) - 2025-01-10: Referred to Committee (House) - 2025-01-10: Fiscal Note Requested (House) - 2025-01-10: Introduced (House) ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2025-04-23: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=ebc2559f-8449-41af-b48b-24549aba026b) - As Amended (Version 2), 2025-03-31: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=92d1c362-c737-4b76-aa6f-b1d79e89c53d) - Introduced, 2025-01-10: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=2362bec3-0c03-4ced-8b2a-31963159212f) ## Related bills - SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law (signed) - HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit (vetoed) - HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws (vetoed) - SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act (vetoed) - SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program (vetoed) - SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer (vetoed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=ebc2559f-8449-41af-b48b-24549aba026b) - [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=92d1c362-c737-4b76-aa6f-b1d79e89c53d) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=2362bec3-0c03-4ced-8b2a-31963159212f) ## Related - [SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB437-2025) - [HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB831-2025) - [HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB628-2025) - [SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB410-2025) - [SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB424-2025) - [SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB422-2025) - [Montana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana/bills) - [Montana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB168-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).