HB 235 allows vehicle owners in Montana to voluntarily cancel or suspend their vehicle registration through department rules, with multi-owner consent required. Vehicles with canceled or suspended registration cannot be driven on public roads, and drivers operating such vehicles become personally liable for traffic fines, tolls, and damages. The bill also amends insurance laws to exempt owners from maintaining liability insurance after cancellation or during suspension periods. This directly affects vehicle owners who wish to temporarily or permanently discontinue registration and drivers using vehicles without active registration.
HB 3 is a funding bill that allocates specific amounts to Montana state agencies for the 2024-2025 fiscal year and continues some funding into the 2025-2026 biennium. It provides $22.2 million to the Public Health and Human Services Division, $12.5 million to the State Public Defender's Conflict Division, $4.07 million to the Montana Highway Patrol, and other sums to agencies like Revenue, Corrections, and Fish and Wildlife. The bill directs these funds for existing agency operations, with unspent balances reverting to their respective funds. It became law immediately upon the governor's signature on April 7, 2025, without requiring additional legislative action. This is a routine budget measure affecting state agency operations, not a policy change impacting citizens.
HB 146 establishes new hunting license fees for sandhill cranes and swans in Montana. It adds $10 for resident and $50 for nonresident application fees for these species, plus $10 resident/$75 nonresident licenses for cranes and swans (requiring also a $5.50 migratory game bird license). All fees collected for these licenses and applications will fund Montana's wetland conservation efforts through the state special revenue account. The law takes effect March 1, 2026, after being signed by the Governor on April 7, 2025.
HB 108 eliminates a requirement for Montana's Department of Revenue to create a supplemental valuation manual when agricultural implements and machinery (like farm equipment) aren't listed in national appraisal guides. This change directly affects farmers and ranchers who own such equipment, as their property tax valuations will now rely solely on existing national guides instead of needing a separate state manual. The bill amends property tax law to remove the specific provision requiring the supplemental manual, streamlining the valuation process for the Department of Revenue. The change takes effect for tax years beginning after December 31, 2025.
HB 215 eliminates requirements for gender and racial balancing in appointments to Montana's state executive boards, commissions, committees, and councils. It removes the existing law (Section 2-15-108, MCA) that mandated appointing authorities to pursue "gender balance and proportional representation of minorities" and eliminated the secretary of state's monthly reporting on appointments/vacancies and the governor's annual progress reports to the legislature. The bill directly affects all state-appointed boards and commissions by removing diversity goals and reporting obligations. This changes how appointments are made, focusing solely on qualifications without mandated demographic considerations. The law took effect after Governor's signature on April 7, 2025.
HB 335 revises Montana's laws governing appointments to professional licensing boards (affecting boards for professions like nursing, engineering, and cosmetology). It requires the governor to appoint qualified applicants within 6 months of application, mandates that board members be actively practicing professionals with licenses in good standing, and prohibits conflicts of interest for public members. The bill also establishes new reporting requirements, mandating a biennial report to the economic affairs committee detailing board vacancies, application processing times, and how long positions remained unfilled. These changes aim to streamline appointments and increase accountability for licensing boards.
HB 24 clarifies Montana's kindergarten instructional hour requirements, directly affecting public school districts and kindergarten programs. It specifies that half-time kindergarten must provide 360 hours and full-time kindergarten 720 hours annually, aligning with existing sections of Montana law (20-1-301, 20-7-117). The bill amends related statutes to ensure these hour requirements are explicitly defined for funding and compliance purposes. Signed into law by the Governor on April 7, 2025, it establishes clear standards for kindergarten programming without altering funding formulas or creating new penalties.
HB 136 allows Montana homeowners' insurance companies to offer premium reductions or benefits to policyholders who take specific preventative measures to reduce property damage from fire, wind, or hail. These measures include using fire-resistant building materials, maintaining defensible space landscaping (like a 5-foot nonflammable border), installing wind-resistant roof shingles, or securing outdoor furniture. The bill requires insurers to disclose these benefits in writing and explicitly states they do not constitute illegal rebates under existing law. This policy change directly affects homeowners who implement qualifying safety measures, providing them with potential cost savings through their insurance premiums.
HB 68 authorizes Montana county commissioners to file court petitions (mandamus) to compel or stop actions by local government entities within their county, such as cities, towns, or school districts. The bill amends Montana law to explicitly grant commissioners this authority under Section 7-4-2110, including the power to hire lawyers and recover legal fees. It clarifies that "local government entity" excludes counties, consolidated cities, incorporated towns, and school districts themselves. This change provides county commissioners a direct legal tool to enforce compliance with duties by other local governments. The bill became law on April 7, 2025, after passing both chambers and the governor's signature.
HB 268 revises Montana's laws for sexual and violent offender registration, primarily affecting individuals convicted of such offenses who must register under state law. The bill requires county attorneys to notify the Attorney General's office when a petition for relief from registration is filed, and it updates registration duration rules: violent offenders automatically qualify for relief after 10 years (unless reconvicted), while level 1 sexual offenders may petition after 10 years and level 2 after 25 years. Courts must consider a clean record (no new convictions, successful treatment/completion of supervision) and public safety before granting relief, and must notify victims before hearings. The changes aim to streamline the relief process while maintaining public safety safeguards.
HB 196 updates Montana's alcohol sales laws to include government-certified digital ID cards as valid identification for age verification. It amends training requirements for alcohol servers to explicitly include checking digital ID cards and adds digital ID cards to the list of prohibited fraudulent identification. The bill directly affects alcohol servers, retailers, and customers using digital IDs, making it unlawful to fraudulently use or alter digital ID cards when purchasing alcohol. This law, signed by the Governor on April 7, 2025, ensures digital IDs are treated equally with physical IDs under existing alcohol sales and fraud statutes.
HB 159 revises Montana's rural improvement district laws to explicitly allow districts to be created for maintaining existing public improvements (like roads or drainage systems), not just building new ones. It simplifies the process by removing the need for a petition if all property owners within the proposed district waive their right to protest its creation. The bill also adjusts petition requirements for road maintenance districts, requiring only 50% consent of property area if all roads to be maintained are public improvements. This directly affects rural property owners and county commissioners by making it easier to form districts focused on upkeep rather than new construction.
