SB 553: Generally revise state policy laws - Montana

SB0553_X(3).pdf → SB0553_X(4).pdf · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reorganized and amended to remove a controversial section prohibiting airline fees for human trafficking and a reporting requirement for the Department of Justice. Additionally, the list of legislative interim committees was reordered alphabetically, and new reporting requirements were added to the revenue committee regarding public fund audits and federal mandates.

Scope change

The bill's scope was reduced by removing provisions related to airline ticket fees and Justice Department reporting, while the scope of the revenue committee's duties was expanded to include specific audit and mandate reports.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted a provision that would have banned fees on airline tickets purchased for travel to or from Montana, which was intended to fund human trafficking efforts.

Deleted a requirement for the Department of Justice to report on spending from a human trafficking fund at the third-quarter interim budget committee hearing.

Added new reporting duties for the revenue committee to include annual audits of public funds and reports on federal mandate requirements from the governor.

STRUCTURE

Removed Section 2, which previously contained detailed rules about travel credit validity, bankruptcy protections, and cash redemption thresholds.

Reordered the list of legislative interim committees from a mixed order to a strict alphabetical order (a through e).

SB0553_X(2).pdf → SB0553_X(3).pdf · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to remove provisions allowing food service establishments to sell fresh kratom products, while retaining and clarifying rules regarding airline travel credits. The changes also updated the list of legislative interim committees to include new committees focused on children, families, health, law, and energy technology. Additionally, the bill now explicitly requires annual reporting of interim committee activities by September 1st.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing the legalization of fresh kratom products, while the applicability of the travel credit and committee sections was refined with new reporting deadlines and committee structures.

ELIGIBILITY

Provisions allowing food service establishments to serve fresh kratom products were deleted from the bill.

REQUIREMENT

The list of legislative interim committees was updated to add the children, families, health, and human services committee; the law and justice committee; and the energy and telecommunications technology committee.

A new requirement was added mandating that interim committees submit annual reports to the legislature by September 1st of each year.

TECHNICAL

Formatting and section numbering were adjusted to reflect the removal of the kratom provisions and the addition of new committee listings.

SB0553_3(12).pdf → SB0553_X.pdf · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from SB 553.3 to SB 553 and updated with a new title reflecting its expanded scope. The substantive changes include allowing local governments to share infrastructure costs with future developers, protecting airline travel credits from expiration and fees, and renaming the Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee to the Energy and Telecommunications Technology Interim Committee.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include specific protections for airline travel credits and a new provision for residential development cost sharing, while the committee name was updated to reflect modern terminology.

TECHNICAL

The bill number changed from SB 553.3 to SB 553, and the official title was updated to include provisions for residential development cost sharing and airline travel credit protections.

REQUIREMENT

Local governments are now authorized to enact rules allowing future residential developers to share the cost of infrastructure improvements that benefit their new developments.

ELIGIBILITY

Airline travel credits are now protected from expiration dates and cannot have their value reduced by fees, such as dormancy fees.

FISCAL

A new $1 fee was established on airline tickets purchased for travel to or from Montana, with the revenue designated to combat human trafficking.

DEFINITION

The name of the Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee was changed to the Energy and Telecommunications Technology Interim Committee.

SB0553_2(5).pdf → SB0553_3(9).pdf · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill number was updated from SB 553.2 to SB 553.3, indicating a revision or renumbering of the legislation. The substantive content of the bill remains unchanged, as the text of the sections was preserved without modification, though the section numbering sequence was adjusted to align with the new bill identifier.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability and policy content remains unchanged; only the bill identifier and internal section numbering were updated.

TECHNICAL

The bill number was changed from SB0553.2 to SB0553.3, and the internal section numbers were resequenced accordingly (e.g., Kratom Tea Houses moved from Section 1 to Section 1, while the Residential Development section was renumbered to Section 1 in the new version, shifting the original Section 1 content to Section 2).

SB0553_3(8).pdf → SB0553_2(5).pdf · 1 edit

MINOR

This bill version renumbered its sections sequentially from 1 to 5, whereas the previous version contained duplicate section numbers. The substantive policy content regarding kratam tea houses, residential development infrastructure, travel credits, and interim committees remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Section numbers were updated to eliminate duplicates (e.g., two Section 1s and two Section 3s) and create a continuous sequence from Section 1 to Section 5.

SB0553_3(3).pdf → SB0553_3(4).pdf · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill introduces two new sections: one legalizing the preparation and service of fresh kratom tea in food establishments, and another establishing a fee on airline tickets to fund human trafficking efforts. It also amends existing sections to clarify the rules for residential development cost sharing and to list specific interim legislative committees.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the law by adding new provisions for kratom tea houses and a new fee for airline tickets, while clarifying rules for residential development and legislative committees.

ELIGIBILITY

Food service establishments are now explicitly authorized to prepare and serve fresh kratom tea for on-premise consumption.

FISCAL

A $1 fee is added to airline tickets purchased for travel to or from the state, with proceeds designated for combating human trafficking.

REQUIREMENT

Rules for residential development cost sharing were updated to allow local governments to require future developments to share costs for infrastructure improvements that benefit them.

DEFINITION

The list of interim legislative committees was expanded and clarified to include specific names such as the children, families, health, and human services committee.

SB0553_2(4).pdf → SB0553_3.pdf · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was renumbered and reorganized, shifting from a sequential list of sections to a format where multiple distinct topics are grouped under single section headers. The substantive content regarding kratam tea houses, residential development costs, travel credit protections, and legislative committee structures remains unchanged, though the internal numbering of subsections within those topics has been altered.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains the same; the changes are primarily structural, affecting how the provisions are numbered and grouped rather than what they cover.

TECHNICAL

The bill's section numbering was reorganized. For example, the kratam tea house provision and the residential development rulemaking provision are now both labeled as 'Section 1', while the travel credit and legislative committee sections were renumbered to 2 and 4 respectively.

Subsection numbering within the travel credit and legislative committee sections was shifted (e.g., subsections previously labeled (1) through (5) are now labeled (2) through (6) in some instances), likely due to the removal of the original introductory text.

The header identifying the bill version was updated from 'SB0553.2' to 'SB0553.3', indicating a revision in the legislative process.

SB0553_1(9).pdf → SB0553_2.pdf · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to replace a consumer protection law regarding airline travel credits with a new law legalizing the sale of fresh kratom products in Montana. The original text protecting airline customers from credit expiration and fees was removed, while new sections were added to allow food establishments to serve kratom tea and to revise rules for residential development cost sharing.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted entirely from consumer protection and aviation policy to substance regulation and local government infrastructure funding.

SCOPE

Removed all provisions prohibiting expiration dates on airline travel credits and protecting consumers from dormancy fees.

REMOVED

Removed the requirement for a $1 fee on airline tickets purchased for travel to or from Montana, which was previously designated to fund human trafficking efforts.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new section explicitly allowing food service establishments, including 'kratom tea houses,' to prepare and serve fresh kratom products for on-premise consumption.

REQUIREMENT

Added new rules allowing local governments to require residential developers to share the cost of extending or enhancing capital facilities like roads and utilities.

DEFINITION

Replaced the legal definition of 'travel credit' with a new section establishing the 'Energy and Telecommunications Technology Interim Committee'.

LC4235.pdf → SB0553_1.pdf · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill update primarily involves a renumbering and rebranding of the legislative document from LC 4235 to SB 553, accompanied by a change in the primary sponsor's name. The substantive policy content regarding state policy laws and justice department reporting remains unchanged, with no modifications to funding, eligibility, or enforcement requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the update is administrative in nature.

TECHNICAL

Removed the original bill number LC 4235 and replaced it with Senate Bill No. 553.

Added the name of the primary sponsor, D. Zolnikov, to the bill header.

Updated page headers and footers to reflect the new bill number and authorized print version status.

Generally revise state policy laws

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