HB 792 revises laws related to marijuana labeling and education, directly affecting marijuana businesses and consumers. It mandates the display of new warning posters at all points of sale for marijuana products. The bill also expands the required warning labels on product packaging to include additional health risks, a warning about driving under the influence, and a specific "high-potency THC" warning for products over 10% THC. Furthermore, these labels and posters must provide resources for marijuana addiction assistance, and the bill grants the department rulemaking authority to implement these changes.
HB 714 revises laws for land divisions that are typically exempt from full subdivision review, affecting landowners, local governing bodies, and adjoining property owners. The bill makes it mandatory for local governing bodies to review certain land divisions and aggregations. It requires applicants to notify adjoining property owners, and a public hearing must be held if requested by neighbors. Additionally, governing bodies will use a standardized affidavit form from the Attorney General to determine if an applicant intends to evade subdivision requirements, and the bill increases a related fine.
HB 804 revises laws concerning lobbying by increasing the payment threshold for lobbyists from $2,150 to $3,000, effective for calendar year 2025. This threshold affects individuals or organizations engaged in lobbying activities. The bill also modifies the process for how the commissioner adjusts this payment threshold to account for inflation. Going forward, these adjustments will occur following a general election each even-numbered year, based on the consumer price index.
HB 825 revises laws related to healthcare decision-makers for adult patients. It allows patients to designate a "trusted decisionmaker" to make medical choices on their behalf if they lose the ability to make their own, with healthcare providers required to document this designation. The bill establishes a legal hierarchy for selecting a decision-maker for incapacitated patients, placing the patient-designated trusted decisionmaker high on that list. This ensures a patient's chosen individual has authority to make healthcare decisions if they cannot.
HB 563 protects individuals who file or participate in investigations related to professional licensing complaints. The bill voids any contract provisions that prohibit or discourage someone from filing a complaint or cooperating with an investigation against a licensee. It also defines being party to such a prohibitive contract or retaliating against a complainant as "unprofessional conduct" for a licensee. This measure ensures that general waivers of claims cannot be interpreted to restrict these specific types of complaints.
HB 567 revises education laws to increase flexibility for school districts to enter into "multidistrict agreements" for jointly funding and operating programs and services. These agreements allow two or more districts to share resources, staff, and services, and can now include private entities. Beginning in 2027, the bill offers a 50% increase in the total quality educator payment to school districts that establish comprehensive countywide multidistrict agreements encompassing all districts in a county. The aim is to enhance efficiency and resource sharing among districts across various functions like administration, instruction, and special education, without increasing local taxes.
HB 45 revises telecommunications regulation laws in Montana. The bill eliminates the Public Service Commission's authority to regulate rates charged by telecommunications companies. It also abolishes the Montana State Universal Fund and repeals the Performance Assurance Plan State Account, along with its related funding. These changes affect telecommunications service providers and their customers by altering the regulatory framework for telecommunications in the state.
HB 192 increases the fees charged by county clerk and recorders for recording various documents. It sets the fee for recording a standard document or when using mechanical means to $20 for the first page and $10 for each additional page. The bill also doubles the portion of these fees deposited into the county's records preservation fund from $1 to $2 per document. Additionally, beginning July 1, 2027, the Department of Revenue will biennially adjust these recording fees for inflation. These changes will apply to documents recorded on or after October 1, 2025.
SB 471 revises vehicular traffic laws to enhance pedestrian safety at crossings by creating the offense of "endangerment of pedestrians." It establishes a tiered system of fines for drivers who fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians, with higher penalties for violations occurring at crosswalks equipped with activated pedestrian-actuated devices. Drivers are also made liable for the cost of repairing or replacing any pedestrian-actuated devices they damage. Additionally, the bill clarifies driver responsibilities at flashing pedestrian-actuated devices, requiring them to yield and remain stopped until the pedestrian has crossed, or proceed with caution if unable to stop safely.
HB 703 exempts specific state and local agencies in Montana from analyzing greenhouse gas emissions during certain environmental reviews. The bill states that the state department and local building departments are no longer required to analyze greenhouse gas emissions from covered appliances when adopting or enforcing building codes. It also exempts the state department from analyzing greenhouse gas emissions from new motor vehicles, engines, and nonroad vehicles, and emissions originating outside the state's borders. The bill cites federal preemption laws as the basis for these exemptions from environmental review.
House Bill 696 establishes a framework for the legislative approval of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities within Montana. It authorizes such facilities if they reprocess fuel from in-state or out-of-state sources, receive a state recommendation from the Department of Environmental Quality, and obtain a federal license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The bill also amends existing law, requiring companies applying to federal energy or nuclear regulatory commissions to notify the state's Department of Environmental Quality and pay a fee to support the department's review and participation in federal proceedings.
HB 693 revises state law concerning how multijudge district courts operate. This bill allows judges in judicial districts with more than five judges to create rules for implementing specialized dockets across their court departments. It clarifies the authority of these larger multijudge districts to organize their caseloads into specialized areas. The bill also maintains existing requirements for all multijudge districts to divide into numbered departments and apportion business.
