Sen. Dave Fern

Fifth-session Democrat from Whitefish

Representing Senate District 2

Whitefish, Columbia Falls, West Glacier

406-212-0674 • Dave.Fern@legmt.gov

Committees •Bills •Key votes •Voting stats •2024 election margin •MTFP Coverage

Fern previously served in the Montana House in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023.

Montana Free Press coverage

📰 2025 Legislature

Bills aimed at closing ag property tax loopholes fall short as lawmakers balk at raising taxes

Mar 20, 2025 • Eric Dietrich

Committee assignments

Senate Taxation - Vice-chair

Senate Local Government

Senate Highways and Transportation

Bills sponsored

📋 SB 88: Revise laws related to the publication process of certificate of need letters of intent Dave Fern (D)📃 Bill text	✅1st Cmte. ✅Senate ✅House ✅Gov.
📋 SB 152: Constitutional amendment to revise investment restrictions of coal trust fund Dave Fern (D)📃 Bill text 💵 Fiscal note	❌1st Cmte. ⚪️Senate ⚪️House
📋 SB 171: Transfer a portion of ending fund balance into the coal trust fund Dave Fern (D)📃 Bill text 💵 Fiscal note	✅1st Cmte. ✅Senate ❌House ⚪️Gov.
📋 SB 172: Revise resort tax eligibility and allow use for workforce housing Dave Fern (D)📃 Bill text	✅1st Cmte. ✅Senate ✅House ✅Gov.
📋 SB 173: Provide income tax relief for property taxes paid Dave Fern (D)📃 Bill text 💵 Fiscal note	❌1st Cmte. ⚪️Senate ⚪️House ⚪️Gov.
📋 SB 237: Require revenue interim committee to make a recommendation about property tax rates Dave Fern (D)📃 Bill text 💵 Fiscal note	✅1st Cmte. ✅Senate ✴️House ⚪️Gov.
📋 SB 252: Revise land use laws related to manufactured and factory built homes Dave Fern (D)📃 Bill text	✅1st Cmte. ✴️Senate ⚪️House ⚪️Gov.
📋 SB 267: Provide a tax credit for charitable gifts to public infrastructure Dave Fern (D)📃 Bill text 💵 Fiscal note	❌1st Cmte. ⚪️Senate ⚪️House ⚪️Gov.
📋 SB 304: Revise Montana lakeshore laws Dave Fern (D)📃 Bill text	❌1st Cmte. ⚪️Senate ⚪️House ⚪️Gov.
📋 SB 343: Revert revenue from coal tax to coal trust Dave Fern (D)📃 Bill text 💵 Fiscal note	✅1st Cmte. ✅Senate ❌House ⚪️Gov.

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Floor vote statistics

Calculations based on 1,930 Senate floor votes in 2025 involving bills.

🥇 87%

of votes cast on winning side

Average for Senate Democrats is 78%.

🔴 77%

of votes cast on side taken by most Republicans

Average for Senate Democrats is 68%.

🔵 91%

of votes cast on side taken by most Democrats

Average for Senate Democrats is 93%.

Fern has been marked absent or excused for 5 votes. Average for Senate lawmakers is 21.0.

SD 2 election results

Last in-cycle for Senate election in 2024. House seats are elected every two years, Senate seats every four.

General election vote, 2024

Won by 5% (633 votes)

Party primary vote, 2024

Ran unopposed

Governor vote in district, 2024

Won by 2% (221 votes)

About the 2025 Montana Free Press Capitol Tracker

This guide is an effort to make the quantifiable aspects of the Montana Legislature more accessible to the public by compiling information about lawmakers, proposed bills and the legislative process. This is a project of Montana Free Press, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom that aims to provide Montanans with in-depth, nonpartisan news coverage.

The information presented here is collected from a variety of sources including the Montana Legislature's public roster and its official bill-tracking system. Reporting and web design were done by Jacob Olness and Eric Dietrich. Please contact them at jolness@montanafreepress.org and edietrich@montanafreepress.org with bug reports, questions or suggestions.

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2025 Capitol Tracker

The lawmakers, bills and votes of the 69th Montana Legislature