HB 213 proposed to revise the property tax rates for Class Four residential and commercial properties. These properties include most residential homes, rental units, and commercial buildings. The bill would lower the tax rate for most residential properties from 1.35% to 0.76% of their market value. It also adjusted the tax rate calculation for single-family homes valued over $1.5 million and for commercial properties, changing their multiplier from 1.4 to 1.35 times the standard residential rate. If passed, these changes would have applied retroactively to tax years beginning after December 31, 2024.
HB 418 proposed to prohibit the administration of gene-based vaccines, such as messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccines, to animals in Montana. It would have also banned the importation of animals treated with or exposed to these vaccines. The bill aimed to prevent veterinarians from prescribing or dispensing these vaccines and pharmacists from selling or distributing them for animal use. Veterinarians violating the prohibition would face a $500 misdemeanor fine for each incident.
HB 386 directs the Department of Public Health and Human Services to apply for the reinstatement of 12-month continuous Medicaid eligibility for specific groups. This would affect parents, caretaker relatives, and adults covered under Medicaid expansion. The department is required to submit amendments to existing federal waivers by September 30, 2025, to restore this continuous eligibility, which was previously allowed before certain waiver changes in 2021 and 2022. The bill would take effect immediately upon passage and approval.
HB 429, titled the "Inflation Protection Act of 2025," proposed creating a new state special revenue account within the state special revenue fund. This account would be initially funded by a $50 million transfer from the state's general fund by July 15, 2025, with additional funding from future legislative transfers. The bill authorized the Board of Investments to invest the funds in this account in precious metals, digital assets, and stablecoins. Any proceeds generated from these investments would remain within the account, affecting the state's financial management and investment strategies.
HB 375 revises statewide ballot issue laws. It requires the Secretary of State to conduct a poll of all legislators on statewide initiatives after their petitions are submitted. Legislators would vote to support, not support, or take no position on each initiative. The bill mandates that the summary results of this legislative poll, or the legislative referral vote for referendums, appear in the voter information pamphlet and directly on the ballot, categorized by the majority vote within each political party.
HB 297, known as the "Healthy Families and Workplaces Act," aimed to establish a requirement for paid sick leave for employees. It would have required employers with 10 or more employees to provide at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, with an annual usage cap of 80 hours. Employees could carry over up to 40 unused hours to the following year. The bill also defined authorized uses for paid sick leave, protected employees from retaliation, and authorized the Department of Labor and Industry to enforce its provisions. Employers with existing paid leave policies that met or exceeded these requirements would have been exempt.
HJ 64 requests the Montana Legislature to conduct an interim study on the election and evaluation of judges and justices in the state. The study would review options to increase transparency in judicial selection, compare methods used in other jurisdictions, and gather input from various stakeholders, including retired judges and attorneys. Its purpose is to determine if legislative or constitutional changes are warranted regarding how Montanans select and evaluate their judiciary. The final results of this study are to be reported to the 70th Legislature.
HB 772 proposed changes to the laws governing writs of mandamus, which are court orders compelling a public official or body to perform a duty. The bill would have required specific criteria to be met before a court could issue such a writ. Additionally, it would have revised the content of these writs to mandate that all involved parties appear before the court to address the merits of the case, rather than simply showing cause for non-compliance. These changes would have affected the legal process for individuals or entities seeking to compel action from public officials.
House Bill 784 proposed to revise the method for distributing state revenue to Montana's local governments for road construction and maintenance. The bill introduced "daily vehicle miles traveled" as a new factor in the funding allocation formula for counties, cities, and towns. Consequently, it would have reduced the percentage weight of existing factors such as rural road mileage, population, land area, and street mileage in determining each local government's share. These changes aimed to adjust how counties, cities, and towns receive funds to maintain their local roads and streets, with an effective date of July 1, 2025.
HB 910 is a legislative bill that aims to provide for the taxation of vapor products. It does this by amending the existing definition of "tobacco products" in state law (Section 16-11-102, MCA) to include substances consumed with devices like e-cigarettes, vape pens, and e-hookahs, regardless of nicotine content. This change would subject vapor products to the same tax regulations as other tobacco products. The provisions of this act would apply to products sold by wholesalers after June 30, 2025.
HB 237 would prohibit the placement of certain sentenced defendants in the state forensic mental health facility at Galen. The bill amends existing law to specify that individuals found to have a mental disease, disorder, or developmental disability at the time of their offense, and who are committed for treatment, cannot be placed at the Galen facility. Instead, these defendants could be placed in other appropriate correctional, mental health, residential, or developmental disabilities facilities for their custody, care, and treatment. The director of the department would retain the authority to transfer individuals between these alternative facilities.
HB 787 aimed to revise gaming laws, primarily affecting gambling route operators who also hold alcoholic beverage licenses. The bill sought to prevent these operators from using financial data, acquired through their gambling business, to gain an unfair competitive advantage when acquiring or selling alcohol licenses. It also aimed to ensure route operators do not restrict the availability of video gambling machines to other alcoholic beverage licensees. Violations of these provisions could lead to the revocation or non-renewal of a route operator's license.
