Regulatory reforms enacted by the 2023 Montana Legislature gained national media attention. Bloomberg hailed it as the "Montana Miracle," while The Atlantic questioned if Montana resolved the housing crisis. At the forefront was the Montana Land Use Planning Act, historic legislation rewriting the state's enabling statutes. While the media's spotlight focused on the Act’s zoning reforms and streamlined permitting to address the housing shortage, the Act also enhanced planning requirements and elevated planning’s role in addressing statewide issues. Yet, the true miracle lies in how the Act transformed conversations about planning in a state where planning long created hostility. Planners from the Montana Chapter of APA and Montana League of Cities and Towns reveal their journey leading the drafting and the campaign supporting the Montana Land Use Planning Act. Delve into how the act was envisioned through membership engagement and brainstorming. Learn about their strategic planning process and organizational changes to boost capacity and influence state policy outcomes. Explore their approach to forging partnerships with vital interest groups and individuals. Gain insights into how they built and maintained a bipartisan coalition through the legislative process. Lastly, learn campaign strategies to maintain support and secure the necessary political backing for success.
Create and execute campaigns to influence state policy outcomes, both within state chapters to engage and educate membership, and within a broad coalition to impact specific legislation.
How to build a broad coalition of stakeholders around a desired legislative outcome and maintain the coalition as the focus legislation is pulled by political forces through the legislative process.
The political maneuvering necessary to achieve legislative success on large policy pieces, and what it takes for planners to step out of their normal technical role, into a political one.
