HB 860 Montana House · 2025 Regular Session

Provide for veterinary training loan program

HB 860 establishes a Montana veterinary training loan program to address rural veterinary shortages. It provides loans of up to $100,000 (capped at $25,000-$33,000 annually) to veterinary students who commit to practicing full-time in Montana's underserved rural areas for four years after graduation. Loan forgiveness is structured at 25% per year of qualifying practice, with repayment required if the commitment isn’t met (up to 10 years at ≤8% interest). Preference is given to Montana residents, and forgiven loan amounts are not considered taxable income. The bill was vetoed by the governor in May 2025, and the legislature failed to override the veto.
Bill status vetoed 4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Vetoed
Jun 2025
Introduced Mar 25, 2025 Vetoed Jun 16, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 6 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB0860_X(1).pdf HB0860_X(2).pdf · 2 edits
MINOR
The bill updates the Rural Montana Veterinary Workforce Act to clarify residency policies for students in exchange programs and adjusts the maximum annual funding amount for 3-year veterinary degree programs from $33,000 to $33,333. These changes aim to ensure fair treatment of non-traditional students and increase financial support for those pursuing shorter veterinary training programs in underserved rural areas.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on rural Montana, but the funding threshold for 3-year degree programs is increased, potentially expanding the pool of eligible students or increasing the total funding required.
ELIGIBILITY

Clarified that the commissioner should apply the Board of Regents' policy (rather than the board of regents' residency policy) to determine residency for students in professional exchange programs.

FISCAL

Increased the maximum annual scholarship amount for students in 3-year veterinary degree programs from $33,000 to $33,333.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 23, 2025 · House Apr 8, 2025

How they voted

419
Passed
Total votes 50
Apr 23, 2025
D Democratic18
18 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican32
23 Yea 9 Nay
71% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
57
Key actions
10
Committee
10
Jun 16, 2025
Vetoed
(H) Veto Override
lower
May 23, 2025
Vetoed
(H) Veto Override Vote in Progress
lower
May 12, 2025
Vetoed
(H) Vetoed by Governor
lower
May 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Signed by President
upper
May 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Signed by Speaker
lower
Apr 23, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (41-9)
senate
Apr 18, 2025
Committee
(S) Rereferred to Committee - (S) Finance and Claims
upper
Apr 16, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation
upper
Apr 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation
upper
Apr 9, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation
upper
Apr 8, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (75-22-3)
house
Apr 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Appropriations
lower
Apr 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Appropriations
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Committee
(H) Rereferred to Committee - (H) Appropriations
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Education
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Education
lower
Mar 25, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Education
lower
Mar 25, 2025
Introduced
(H) Introduced
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Randyn Gregg
Randyn Gregg
RRepublican
MT
78