Revise when a party in a proceeding is entitled to jury trial
HB 480 revises when a party in a legal proceeding is entitled to a jury trial. The bill grants any party the right to demand a trial by jury to determine issues of fact in proceedings that challenge the constitutionality or legality of a legislative act or a proposed or adopted ballot issue. This means that in disputes over the validity of laws or voter-approved measures, a jury can be called upon to decide factual disagreements. The bill amends Section 27-8-302, MCA, to incorporate this provision.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Feb 12, 2025
Signed May 19, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
HB0480_X(3).pdf
→
HB0480_X(4).pdf
·
2 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended to remove language requiring an immediate effective date and an applicability date, leaving the effective date to be determined by the legislature. Additionally, the text was cleaned up to remove redundant phrases and formatting inconsistencies, ensuring the final version is ready for official codification.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding when it takes effect changed from an immediate implementation to a standard legislative process where the effective date is set later.
TIMELINE
Removed the requirement for an immediate effective date and an applicability date.
TECHNICAL
Removed redundant text and formatting errors to align the bill with standard legislative formatting.
Floor votes · Senate Apr 7, 2025 · House Apr 17, 2025
How they voted
32–17
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 50
Apr 7, 2025
D
Democratic18
94% Nay
R
Republican32
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
52
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Amendments
1
May 13, 2025
Signed into law
(H) Signed by Governor
lower
May 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Signed by President
upper
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Signed by Speaker
lower
Apr 17, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (54-44-2)
house
Apr 7, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (32-17-1)
senate
Apr 7, 2025
Introduced
(S) Returned to House with Amendments
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Judiciary
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Judiciary
upper
Feb 28, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Judiciary
upper
Feb 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Judiciary
lower
Feb 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Judiciary
lower
Feb 13, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Judiciary
lower
Feb 12, 2025
Introduced
(H) Introduced
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Brandon Ler
RRepublican
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 480
Scope: MT
Hi! I can help you understand HB 480. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline