HB 68 Montana House · 2025 Regular Session

Authorize county commissioners to initiate mandamus proceedings

HB 68 authorizes Montana county commissioners to file court petitions (mandamus) to compel or stop actions by local government entities within their county, such as cities, towns, or school districts. The bill amends Montana law to explicitly grant commissioners this authority under Section 7-4-2110, including the power to hire lawyers and recover legal fees. It clarifies that "local government entity" excludes counties, consolidated cities, incorporated towns, and school districts themselves. This change provides county commissioners a direct legal tool to enforce compliance with duties by other local governments. The bill became law on April 7, 2025, after passing both chambers and the governor's signature.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2024
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House Passage
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
Apr 2025
Introduced Dec 12, 2024 Signed Apr 7, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 6 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB0068_X(4).pdf HB0068_X(5).pdf · 1 edit
MINOR
The legislative text for HB 68 was finalized by removing the 'END' marker and a few blank lines, while retaining the core amendment to authorize county commissioners to initiate mandamus proceedings. This change represents a formatting cleanup rather than a substantive policy shift, as the legal authority and scope of the bill remain exactly the same.
TECHNICAL

Removed the 'END' marker and extra blank lines from the end of the document, which were likely artifacts from the drafting or editing process.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 20, 2025 · House Jan 15, 2025

How they voted

3812
Passed
Total votes 50
Mar 20, 2025
D Democratic18
10 Yea 8 Nay
55% Yea
R Republican32
28 Yea 4 Nay
87% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
37
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Apr 7, 2025
Signed into law
(H) Signed by Governor
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Signed by President
upper
Mar 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Signed by Speaker
lower
Mar 20, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (38-12)
senate
Mar 18, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Local Government
upper
Mar 17, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Local Government
upper
Jan 17, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Local Government
upper
Jan 15, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (98-1-1)
house
Jan 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Local Government
lower
Jan 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Local Government
lower
Dec 20, 2024
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Local Government
lower
Dec 12, 2024
Introduced
(H) Introduced
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Steve Gist
Steve Gist
RRepublican
MT
25