2025 Capitol Tracker

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

A digital guide by MTFP Logo | Support this work
Last update: 5:44 AM Apr 15, 2025
πŸ—‚ All billsπŸ”Ž Find a billπŸ”Ž Find a lawmaker🏑 Your districtπŸ—“ Calendar
🏠 House
GOP-held 58-42
πŸ› Senate
GOP-held 32-18
πŸ–‹ Governor
Greg Gianforte (R)
Rep. Sherry Essmann, HD 49

Rep. Sherry Essmann

Second-session Republican from Billings
Representing House District 49
Southwest Billings

Essmann previously served in the Montana House in 2023.

Montana Free Press coverage

πŸ“° 2025 Legislature
β€˜Personhood’ amendment advances, despite abortion rights initiative
Mar 26, 2025 β€’ Mara Silvers
πŸ“° 2025 Legislature
Bills aimed at closing ag property tax loopholes fall short as lawmakers balk at raising taxes
Mar 20, 2025 β€’ Eric Dietrich
πŸ“° 2025 Legislature
Lawmakers ponder bills aimed at narrowing ag property tax loopholes
Feb 7, 2025 β€’ Eric Dietrich

Committee assignments

House Taxation - Vice-chair
House Education
House Local Government

Bills sponsored

πŸ“‹ HB 25: Require exempt entities to report beneficial use of property
❌1st Cmte.
βšͺ️House
βšͺ️Senate
βšͺ️Gov.
πŸ“‹ HB 27: Remove automatic agricultural classification for certain parcels
βœ…1st Cmte.
❌House
βšͺ️Senate
βšͺ️Gov.
πŸ“‹ HB 29: Revise administration of property tax exemptions
βœ…1st Cmte.
βœ…House
βœ…Senate
βœ…Gov.
πŸ“‹ HB 87: Revising taxation of lands owned by department of fish, wildlife, and parks
βœ…1st Cmte.
βœ…House
βœ…Senate
✴️Gov.
πŸ“‹ HB 308: Maintain the county distribution level of metal mines license tax
βœ…1st Cmte.
βœ…House
βœ…Senate
✴️Gov.
πŸ“‹ HB 894: Revising property appraisal to use an average value
βœ…1st Cmte.
❌House
βšͺ️Senate
βšͺ️Gov.
πŸ“‹ HB 902: Generally revise Montana SNAP program laws
βœ…1st Cmte.
❌House
βšͺ️Senate
βšͺ️Gov.
Showing 7 of 7
Capitolized newsletter
Expert reporting and insight from the Montana Capitol, emailed Thursdays.

Floor vote statistics

Calculations based on 2,117 House floor votes in 2025 involving bills.
πŸ₯‡ 89%
of votes cast on winning side
Average for House Republicans is 88%.
πŸ”΄ 88%
of votes cast on side taken by most Republicans
Average for House Republicans is 92%.
πŸ”΅ 73%
of votes cast on side taken by most Democrats
Average for House Republicans is 66%.
Essmann has been marked absent or excused for 4 votes. Average for House lawmakers is 19.2.

HD 49 election results

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

General election vote, 2024

(R) SHERRY ESSMANN(R) 62%(D) 38%
Won by 25% (1,222 votes)

Party primary vote, 2024

(R) SHERRY ESSMANN(R) 100%
Ran unopposed

Governor vote in district, 2024

(R) GREG GIANFORTE(R) 58%(D) 39%
Won by 19% (976 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.

Think there's a potential news story to be done about a bill or lawmaker you see here? Tell us at tips@montanafreepress.org.