Since the 2025 legislative session convened in Helena Jan. 6, the Montana State Capitol building has become a bustling and bewildering place. Newly seated legislators, their staff members, visiting constituents, and a stream of lobbyists fill the air with overlapping flurries of footsteps and a near constant, chattering murmur that, though inscrutable, contains the sum of greetings, niceties and negotiation.
Jefferson County’s own legislators, House District (HD) 75 Representative Marta Bertoglio (R) and Senate District (SD) 38 Senator Becky Beard (R), have themselves begun to prepare new legislation, as they each begin fresh terms.
“There really isn’t such a thing as a typical day here, but, while in-session, we’re easily pulling 12 to 14 hour days,” Beard told The Monitor. “There have been many organizational and preparatory meetings that have gone into making sure we’re ready to get to work on day one of the new session.”
