The 67th session of the Montana Legislature has come to an end. In the final days, the body passed policies to regulate and tax marijuana sales, spend $2 billion in federal stimulus funds and budget state spending over the next two years.

As the 2021 legislative session winds down, Montana Republican lawmakers are putting the pieces in place to ensure they can continue their investigation into the judicial branch.

Montana lawmakers have advanced a proposal to allocate money for the creation of a politically-appointed panel that would decide which patients can receive reimbursement from Medicaid for abortion care.

A bill that would stop local governments in Montana from enacting bans on sales of flavored vaping products is making its way to Gov. Greg Gianforte’s desk. The Legislature advanced the policy after Missoula's city council passed a local ban on the products because of health concerns.

Fresh off Monday’s news that Montana’s gained a second U.S. House seat , Republican lawmakers Tuesday passed a proposal to give the Legislature more input on how the state is drawn into two districts. Opponents say the move is unconstitutional.

Montana’s Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed three bills into law that aim to limit access to abortion, breaking a nearly two-decade-long streak of Democratic governors vetoing anti-abortion legislation in the state.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday that Montana will gain a second seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Voters will get to elect the new congressperson in 2022. Montana added 95,000 more residents since 2010. The 10% increase was enough to give the state additional representation in Congress.

As of mid-day Friday, 1,313 bills have been introduced and at least 267 have been signed into law. This week we’re watching how the Republican majority is spending their mandate from voters as the session is winding down and last minute legislation.

The dispute between Republican legislative leadership and the state Supreme Court will likely continue after the legislative session ends. This as Montana joins several states in passing changes to voting laws — and those changes are already being challenged in court. And Friday, lawmakers reached a compromise on how to implement recreational marijuana. Listen now on Capitol Talk with Sally Mauk, Rob Saldin and Holly Michels.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte received his second dose of a COVID vaccine on Friday. He and other Republican leaders are encouraging all Montanans to get their shots.