With the opening of the 2017 Session of the Montana Legislature January 2, the future of the Montana Developmental Center and the community of Boulder is in the balance. Nearly half of the bills requested by Representative Kirk Wagoner, R-House District 75, deal directly with the MDC closure and its implications. Wagoner, of Montana City, was elected in November to a second term as a representative of Boulder and most of Jefferson County.
The seven MDC-related bills requested by Wagoner range from one to repeal the MDC closure as adopted in the 2015 session to several versions of repurposing the MDC facility, to requiring oversight of the care of former MDC clients. As of the session opening, the language of the bills was not yet available and no hearings had been assigned.
Other bills proposed by Wagoner deal with whistleblower protections, concealed carry permits, ethics complaints, and other broad areas such as education. None of the bills was yet available in draft form as of the session opening. Sen. Mary Caferro of Helena, sponsor of the 2015 MDC closure bill, has several draft requests lined up regarding developmental disabilities. Among those bill requests is one to fund direct care worker wage increases in developmental disability services. During repeated hearings by a panel appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock to oversee the transition from the MDC to community placements, speakers said low wages in community services have slowed the placement of MDC clients into group homes.
Group home operators have said that even without the inclusion of MDC clients they are finding it hard to attract and retain direct care workers at the available wages. Caferro also has a bill request for an interim study resolution on developmental disabilities. As with Wagoner’s bill requests, the language of those by Caferro were not yet available as of the opening of the session.
To keep track of bills, visit laws.leg.mt.gov. Searches can be conducted there by the name of the bill sponsor, by the topic of the bill, or by the bill number.
