HB 164 Montana House · 2025 Regular Session

Revise the uniform unclaimed property act

HB 164 revises Montana's Unclaimed Property Act to clarify rules for businesses holding unclaimed funds or assets. It defines "payroll card" (referencing federal regulations), updates when property is considered abandoned, and allows holders to submit reports via email instead of traditional mail. The bill directly affects banks, employers, and other businesses that manage unclaimed property like unpaid wages or unused gift cards. Key changes streamline reporting for electronic transfers and ensure clearer definitions for property types like mineral proceeds. The law, now effective after Governor's signature, modernizes how unclaimed property is tracked and returned to owners.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House Passage
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
Signed into Law
Apr 2025
Introduced Jan 10, 2025 Signed Apr 7, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 9 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB0164_2(16).pdf HB0164_X.pdf · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill revises Montana's unclaimed property laws by updating definitions and procedures for handling abandoned property. The main changes include adding a definition for 'payroll card' to clarify how electronic payment accounts are treated under unclaimed property rules, renumbering several existing definitions to accommodate the new term, and updating references to electronic mail delivery of property reports. These changes modernize the statute to address digital payment methods while maintaining the core framework for identifying and returning unclaimed property to rightful owners.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of covered property types by explicitly including payroll cards as unclaimed property, ensuring these electronic payment accounts are handled under the same unclaimed property rules as traditional financial instruments.
DEFINITION

Added a new definition for 'payroll card' to clarify that electronic payroll payment accounts are subject to unclaimed property laws

Renumbered existing definitions (13-14 became 13-14, 14-15 became 14-15, etc.) to accommodate the new payroll card definition

REQUIREMENT

Updated bill title and summary to reflect the addition of payroll card definition and electronic mail delivery provisions

TECHNICAL

Changed document version from 'HOUSE BILL' to 'ENROLLED BILL' indicating final passage

Floor votes · Senate Mar 26, 2025 · House Jan 29, 2025

How they voted

500
Passed
Total votes 50
Mar 26, 2025
D Democratic18
18 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican32
32 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
39
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Apr 7, 2025
Signed into law
(H) Signed by Governor
lower
Mar 31, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Signed by President
upper
Mar 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (50-0)
senate
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs
upper
Mar 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs
upper
Feb 18, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs
upper
Jan 29, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (100-0)
house
Jan 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Business and Labor
lower
Jan 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Business and Labor
lower
Jan 10, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Business and Labor
lower
Jan 10, 2025
Introduced
(H) Introduced
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Ken Walsh
Ken Walsh
RRepublican
MT
69