Senate Bill 164, sponsored by Sen. John Fuller, R-Kalispell, cleared an initial hurdle in the Republican-controlled chamber Monday afternoon by a 30-20 vote, with two Republicans joining Democrats in opposition.
The bill would expand Montana’s criminal child endangerment statute to include penalties for any adult who “knowingly procures or provides” puberty blockers, hormone therapies or surgeries to minors under 16 years old for the purpose of aligning the youth’s appearance with their gender identity if it is not the same as their “biological sex,” a term that the legislation does not define.