Budget & Taxes

died · Montana · House May 22, 2025

HB 119: Establish the Montana Cattle Committee

HB 119 sought to establish the Montana Cattle Committee, a new entity composed of seven Montana cattle producers appointed by the governor. The committee would be responsible for planning and conducting research, promotion, and educational programs to benefit the state's cattle industry. To fund these activities, the bill proposed a cattle assessment to be collected from cattle sellers, which would first require approval through a referendum of those sellers. Funds from this assessment would be deposited into a dedicated cattle special revenue account for the committee's use.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill creates a new cattle assessment tax to fund industry programs, directly establishing a tax mechanism for revenue generation under Taxation - Agriculture/Livestock.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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died · Montana · House May 22, 2025

HB 155: Revise class four residential and commercial property taxes

HB 155 revises property tax laws for Class Four residential and commercial properties. For residential properties, it introduces a graduated tax rate for single-family homes above $1.5 million in market value and sets specific rates for vacant residential lots under $50,000 and certain rental multifamily units over $2 million. For commercial and industrial properties, the bill exempts the first $200,000 of market value from taxation and establishes specific tax rates for the remaining value, with a different rate for golf courses. The bill would have taken effect immediately and applied retroactively to property tax years beginning after December 31, 2024.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesExempts first $200k commercial property value, creating tax break for businesses (wealthy entities), aligning with oppose indicators85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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died · Montana · House May 22, 2025

HR 7: House resolution for legislators to offset appropriations in introduced bills by identifying the programs from which funds are to be reallocated in the same bill

House Resolution 7 (HR 7) requests that members of the Montana State Legislature, when introducing or amending bills to include new spending, also identify existing programs from which funds would be reallocated to cover those new appropriations. This means any bill proposing new expenditures would need to specify how those funds would be offset within the state budget.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRequires offsetting new spending with reallocated funds, promoting fiscal responsibility in budget management95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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died · Montana · House May 22, 2025

HB 451: Revise tax increment financing districts to exclude debt service and certain school levies

HB 451 revises how tax increment financing (TIF) is calculated for newly established targeted economic development districts and urban renewal areas. For districts created after the bill's effective date, it excludes several specific mill levies from the tax increment calculation. These exclusions include certain university system mills, a portion of elementary, high school, and state equalization mills, new voter-approved levies, and mills for general obligation bond debt service. This means that a larger share of the new property tax revenue generated in these areas would directly go to the affected taxing jurisdictions, rather than into the TIF fund.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesExcludes school levies and debt service from TIF calculations, reducing available revenue for economic development districts.95% confidence ✗ EducationOpposes EducationExcludes school levies from TIF calculations, reducing potential school funding streams by removing these revenues from tax increment calculations.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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died · Montana · House May 22, 2025

HB 334: Generally revise disaster and emergency laws

HB 334 sought to revise laws concerning disaster and emergency funding. The bill proposed to increase the statutory appropriation available to the Governor's office for declared emergencies from $16 million to $22 million per two-year period, effective July 1, 2025. It also would have allowed the Department of Military Affairs to use up to $3 million annually from this fund for disaster and emergency services activities, such as planning, training, and response, without a formal governor's declaration. Unspent funds at the end of each biennium would continue to be transferred to the fire suppression account.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill increases emergency funding appropriation from $16M to $22M and allocates $3M for military disaster services, advancing budget for public safety.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 320: Establish the Montana's academic prosperity program for scholars act

HB 320 establishes Montana's Academic Prosperity Program for Scholars (MAPPS) to offer educational options for eligible students aged 5-19. The program provides state income tax credits to individuals and corporations who donate to educational assistance accounts for participating students, and also to parents for their qualified education expenses. A program manager oversees these funds and their distribution for educational assistance, with guidance from a new MAPPS council. Students participating in MAPPS are exempt from public school compulsory enrollment requirements.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesProvides state income tax credits for education donations and expenses, directly advancing tax policy to fund educational programs through fiscal incentives.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates MAPPS program using tax credits to expand educational access and funding options for students aged 5-19 through donations and qualified expenses.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 429: Provide account and transfer for BOI for investment in precious metals and digital assets

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.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill creates new state investment account within budget (fiscal management) to protect against inflation via precious metals/digital assets, aligning with fiscal responsibility indicators.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 950: Establishing a Montana trade office in Israel

House Bill 950 sought to establish and maintain a Montana trade office in Israel, staffed by the Department of Commerce. The office's primary goal was to promote trade, tourism, and cultural exchange between Montana and Israel. It aimed to strengthen ties and expand opportunities in areas such as agriculture, technology, security, and educational programs. The bill proposed appropriating $500,000 from the general fund for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025, to fund the office. This act was intended to be effective July 1, 2025, and terminate on June 30, 2033.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill explicitly appropriates $500,000 from general fund for trade office, directly allocating state budget resources to fund a new program.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 326: Establish a tax on electrical energy not produced by coal to match coal severance tax rate

HB 326, titled the "State Energy Resource Severance Act," would establish a new 10% tax on the sale price of electrical energy produced in the state. This tax would apply to electricity generated from sources such as water, wind, and solar, but specifically exempts coal-fired electrical generation. The bill also reduces the existing coal severance tax rate to match this new electrical energy production tax rate. Revenue from this new tax would be allocated to special accounts, primarily for local government infrastructure projects traditionally funded by coal.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates new 10% tax on non-coal energy (wind/solar), reallocates revenue to local accounts for public services, strengthening tax base and fiscal management per bill's explicit tax structure.95% confidence ✗ EnergyOpposes EnergyBill taxes renewable energy (wind/solar/hydro) at 10% while exempting coal and reducing coal's severance tax, directly favoring fossil fuels over renewables.95% confidence ✗ EnvironmentOpposes EnvironmentTaxes renewable energy sources while exempting coal, disincentivizing clean energy adoption and favoring fossil fuels over environmental protection.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 148: Repeal state tax on social security income

HB 148 proposes to exempt Social Security benefits from the state income tax in Montana. This bill would revise existing tax laws by amending specific sections of the Montana Code Annotated related to income tax definitions. If passed, it would directly affect individuals in Montana who receive Social Security income by eliminating their state tax liability on those benefits. The bill also specifies a delayed effective date and an applicability date for these changes.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRepeals tax on Social Security benefits, providing tax relief to seniors (lower-income retirees), directly aligning with support indicators for tax relief.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Budget & Taxes

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