Generally revising administrative procedure laws relating to agency deference

HB 52 aimed to revise the Montana Administrative Procedure Act. The bill proposed that reviewing courts would no longer give deference to a state agency's interpretation of law or its past interpretations during judicial review. This means courts would interpret the law independently when evaluating agency decisions. Additionally, the bill required the publication of stipulations of agreements on the State of Montana website. These changes would affect how state agency actions are legally reviewed and increase public access to certain agency agreements.