SB 78 Montana Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Revise laws related to marking hides and meat

SB 78 revises laws related to the inspection and marking of hides and meat from slaughtered animals. The bill eliminates the requirement that each dressed carcass of a slaughtered animal must be stamped by an inspector. However, slaughtering establishments must still maintain the hide of each slaughtered animal for inspection and marking by a state or deputy state stock inspector. The bill also updates the requirements for inspectors when handling bills of sale that cover animals not included in the current inspection. Finally, it clarifies that individuals who kill livestock in good faith for their own use are not required to have the meat inspected or stamped.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2024

Committee Review

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Apr 2025

House Passage

Apr 2025

Signed into Law

Apr 2025

Introduced Dec 27, 2024 Signed Apr 18, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

SB0078_1(6).pdf → SB0078_X.pdf · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from SB 78.1 to SB 78 and its title was updated to reflect an immediate effective date. The core policy content regarding livestock inspection, marking, and bill of sale requirements remains substantively unchanged, though the text was reformatted for the enrolled version.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability are unchanged; it continues to regulate the inspection and marking of hides and meat for slaughtered cattle or horses in Montana.

TIMELINE

The effective date provision was changed from 'on passage and approval' to 'immediate effective date', allowing the laws to take effect right away.

TECHNICAL

The bill number was updated from SB 78.1 to SB 78 to match the enrolled version.

The bill's title was slightly revised to explicitly mention the immediate effective date and remove the phrase 'and marking of hides and meat' in favor of a streamlined list of actions.

The document was converted from a draft version (SB 78.1) to an official enrolled bill with signatures from the Secretary of the Senate, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 18, 2025 · House Mar 26, 2025

How they voted

48–2

Passed

Total votes 50

Feb 18, 2025

D Democratic18

18 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican32

30 Yea 2 Nay

93% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 17, 2025

Signed into law

(S) Signed by Governor

upper

Apr 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

(H) Signed by Speaker

lower

Apr 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

(S) Signed by President

upper

Mar 26, 2025

House · Passed

House Vote: pass (98-1-1)

house

Mar 21, 2025

Lower · Passed

(H) Committee Report - (H) Agriculture

lower

Mar 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Agriculture

lower

Feb 19, 2025

Committee

(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Agriculture

lower

Feb 18, 2025

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (48-2)

senate

Jan 31, 2025

Upper · Passed

(S) Committee Report - (S) Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

upper

Jan 30, 2025

Upper · Passed

(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

upper

Jan 7, 2025

Committee

(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

upper

Dec 27, 2024

Introduced

(S) Introduced

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors