Revise laws regarding mining leases on state lands
SB 520 revises state laws concerning mining leases on state-owned lands for metalliferous minerals, gems, and nonmetallic minerals. It establishes a primary lease term of at least 10 years, which can be extended if production continues or if legal challenges or exploration licenses delay operations. The bill also requires the state department to withhold proprietary geological information from public inspection for a minimum of five years after a lease expires. These changes directly affect mining companies and individuals who lease state lands for mineral extraction, as well as the state board overseeing these leases.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Feb 26, 2025
Signed May 16, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
SB0520_X(4).pdf
→
SB0520_X(5).pdf
·
2 edits
MINOR
The bill removed a specific list of related statutes from the title, likely to streamline the text or correct a citation error. It also slightly adjusted the formatting of the lease term definitions, clarifying that the 10-year primary term applies when lands are subject to state acquisition limitations.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed by removing a reference to other specific MCA sections in the title, but the core subject matter regarding mining leases remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL
Deleted a list of specific MCA sections (3-102, 77-3-117, 77-3-130, 77-3-203, and 77-3-211) from the bill's title.
DEFINITION
Adjusted the formatting and wording of the mining lease term definitions to clarify that the 10-year primary term requirement applies specifically when the state's title to the land is subject to limitations.
Floor votes · Senate Apr 18, 2025 · House Apr 11, 2025
How they voted
46–4
Passed
Total votes 50
Apr 18, 2025
D
Democratic18
83% Yea
R
Republican32
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
48
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Amendments
1
May 13, 2025
Signed into law
(S) Signed by Governor
upper
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Signed by Speaker
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Signed by President
upper
Apr 18, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (46-4)
senate
Apr 12, 2025
Introduced
(H) Returned to Senate with Amendments
lower
Apr 11, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (61-38-1)
house
Apr 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Natural Resources
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Natural Resources
lower
Mar 17, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Natural Resources
lower
Mar 4, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Natural Resources
upper
Mar 4, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Natural Resources
upper
Feb 27, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Natural Resources
upper
Feb 26, 2025
Introduced
(S) Introduced
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Tony Tezak
RRepublican
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