Budget & Taxes

died · Montana · Legislature May 24, 2025

LC 1225: Require cities and counties to collect a user fee for public safety property tax mill levies

This bill (LC 1225) would have required cities and counties to collect a separate user fee to fund public safety property tax mill levies. It directly affected local governments by mandating a new fee structure for property taxes supporting public safety services like police and fire departments. The bill did not advance beyond the drafting stage, as its draft was placed on hold and later died in process (2025-05-24), meaning it never became law or implemented any changes.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesMandates separate user fee to fund public safety property tax mill levies, ensuring dedicated revenue stream for essential services like police/fire departments.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Fees & Licensing Property Tax

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died · Montana · Legislature May 26, 2025

LC 2578: Revise income threshold and benefits of the property tax assistance program

This bill (LC 2578) proposed updating the income eligibility limits and benefit amounts for the state's property tax assistance program. It would have directly affected low-to-moderate income homeowners by adjusting who qualifies for tax relief and how much financial assistance they receive. The key change involved revising the income threshold that determines eligibility and modifying the benefit structure. However, the bill did not become law, as it "died in process" in May 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill revises property tax assistance to provide relief for low-to-moderate income homeowners, directly aligning with tax relief indicators for middle/lower income groups.95% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill revises property tax assistance for low-to-moderate income homeowners, adjusting eligibility and benefits to strengthen housing affordability support.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Property Tax Property Taxes

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died · Montana · Legislature May 26, 2025

LC 1557: Establish a fund for local infrastructure

Bill LC 1557 proposed establishing a dedicated fund to support local infrastructure projects, such as roads and public utilities, primarily affecting municipalities and local governments. The bill outlined mechanisms for allocating state funds to communities for infrastructure upgrades but did not specify exact funding amounts or eligibility criteria. However, the bill never advanced beyond the drafting stage, as it was placed on hold twice in November 2024 and ultimately died in process in May 2025. No concrete policy changes were enacted, as the proposal was not introduced for committee review or voting.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill proposes dedicated state fund for infrastructure projects, directly advancing budget allocation under State Finance/Appropriations subjects.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill establishes dedicated fund for local infrastructure projects including roads, directly aligning with transportation funding/support indicators. Explicitly targets road/public utility upgrades per summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Transportation Funding Tags Local Government

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died · Montana · Legislature May 27, 2025

LC 1724: Eliminate sunset on the Montana university system six mill levy

This bill (LC 1724) proposed to remove the expiration date ("sunset") for a specific property tax levy funding Montana's public universities. The "six mill levy" refers to a $6 tax per $1,000 of assessed property value paid by homeowners and businesses to support university operations. The bill would have made this tax permanent, ensuring ongoing funding for the university system without needing future legislative approval to extend it. The bill died in the legislative process on May 27, 2025, and never became law.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill makes property tax levy permanent for university funding, ensuring ongoing state revenue allocation to public higher education without sunset expiration.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill eliminates sunset on property tax levy funding Montana's public universities, ensuring permanent financial support for higher education institutions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Property Tax Higher Education

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died · Montana · Legislature May 27, 2025

LC 3245: Increase elderly homeowner/renter tax credit

This bill (LC 3245) proposed increasing the tax credit available to elderly homeowners and renters. It aimed to provide greater financial relief to low-to-moderate income seniors by raising the credit amount they could claim on their state income taxes. The bill was drafted in December 2024 but was placed on hold and ultimately died in the legislative process on May 27, 2025, meaning it never became law. As a result, no policy change was implemented for affected elderly residents.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases tax credit for elderly low-to-moderate income residents, providing direct tax relief per bill summary and taxation subject focus.95% confidence ✓ HousingSupports HousingBill increases tax credit for elderly homeowners/renters, providing direct financial relief to low-to-moderate income seniors to improve housing affordability, aligning with 'increases affordable housing' indicator.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Homeownership Property Taxes Renters

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died · Montana · Legislature May 27, 2025

LC 3336: Revise property tax appraisal cycles

This bill (LC 3336) aimed to change how often local governments reassess property values for tax purposes. It would have required property tax appraisals to occur every three years instead of the current biennial (every two years) cycle, directly affecting property owners whose tax bills are based on these appraisals. The key provision was modifying the standard appraisal timeline to reduce the frequency of reassessments. However, the bill was never enacted, as it "Died in Process" on May 27, 2025, after being drafted but not moving forward. No policy changes were implemented.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesReduces frequency of property tax reassessments, providing potential tax relief to property owners by slowing tax bill adjustments.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Property Tax

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died · Montana · Legislature May 27, 2025

LC 3150: Increase funding for higher education

This bill (LC 3150) proposed increasing state funding for higher education institutions. However, it died in the legislative process on May 27, 2025, without advancing to a vote or becoming law. The provided context does not include details about the specific funding amount, allocation methods, or which institutions would have been directly affected. No further provisions or mechanisms were documented in the available information. As a draft that did not progress, it did not result in any concrete policy change.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill explicitly proposes increasing state funding for higher education, directly advancing budget appropriations for public education. Intent clear despite legislative failure.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill explicitly proposes increasing state funding for higher education institutions, directly aligning with 'support' indicators of funding advancement.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education

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died · Montana · Legislature May 27, 2025

LC 1918: Eliminate marriage penalty in tax filing

This bill aimed to eliminate the "marriage penalty" in tax filing, which occurs when married couples filing jointly pay more in taxes than if they filed as single individuals. It would have directly affected married couples filing jointly by adjusting tax brackets or deductions to align their tax burden with single filers. The bill was drafted but died in the legislative process without advancing to a vote. It did not become law, as noted in its recent actions.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEliminates marriage penalty tax burden for couples, providing direct tax relief aligning with support indicators for middle-income taxpayers.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Income Tax

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died · Montana · Legislature May 27, 2025

LC 3012: Provide funding for statewide interlibrary resource sharing

This bill proposed allocating state funds to support public libraries sharing books, materials, and services statewide. It would have directly benefited library patrons by expanding access to resources and library staff managing interlibrary systems. The key mechanism was providing dedicated funding for infrastructure and coordination between libraries. However, the bill was placed on hold and ultimately died in committee in May 2025 without becoming law.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates state funds for library infrastructure, directly addressing appropriations within state finance. Classifies as funding essential public services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics State Budget

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died · Montana · Legislature May 27, 2025

LC 3072: Eliminate state tax on social security income

LC 3072 would have eliminated the state tax on Social Security income for residents. This change would have directly affected individuals receiving Social Security benefits, including retirees and disabled persons, by removing a tax burden on that income. The bill's key mechanism was amending the state tax code to exclude Social Security payments from taxable income. The bill died in committee in May 2025 and did not become law.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEliminates tax on Social Security income, providing tax relief for retirees and disabled persons, aligning with tax relief indicators for middle/lower income.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Sales Tax

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