HB 661 sought to revise and expand laws related to the unlawful harassment or harm of certain wildlife using vehicles or devices. The bill extended protections to include game animals, game birds, fur-bearing animals, and predatory animals. It distinguished between harassing these animals, which remained a misdemeanor, and a new, more severe offense of harming, tormenting, torturing, or killing them from a vehicle or device without legal justification. This new offense was classified as a felony, carrying higher fines, potential state prison time, and longer suspensions of hunting, fishing, and trapping privileges. Exemptions were included for landowners protecting their property, lawful hunting, and wildlife management practices.
HB 922 proposes to establish a new education tax credit for resident taxpayers who are parents or legal guardians of children attending nonpublic schools. This bill would allow a $250 credit per eligible student each year, applied against the taxpayer's income tax liability. Any unused credit could be carried forward for up to three years. The legislation also revises the review schedule for existing tax credits and aims to provide parity in aggregate limits for educational programs in public and nonpublic school settings.
HB 789 proposes changes to how legislative candidates can handle leftover campaign funds. Currently, candidates are generally prohibited from contributing surplus funds to their own future campaigns. This bill would create an exception, allowing legislative candidates to contribute up to $10,000 of their surplus campaign funds to their *own* future campaign. This transfer must occur within 120 days of filing their closing campaign report and is considered a new contribution from the candidate, not a loan.
This bill would allow Montana's SNAP program to request federal waivers to restrict purchases to healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and protein, and to limit EBT card use for household food purchases to individuals over 16. It also establishes a transitional benefits program that gradually reduces SNAP benefits as household income rises above 138% of the federal poverty level, with benefit amounts decreasing from 100% to 20% across five income tiers. The legislation includes reporting requirements for the department to track waiver status and spending patterns, updates legal terminology, and amends existing state laws related to SNAP funding and benefit administration.
HB 322 proposed to reduce the number of associate justices on the Montana Supreme Court from six to four. The bill aimed to eliminate two specific associate justice positions, seat numbers 5 and 6, whose terms conclude in January 2029. To achieve this reduction, there would be no elections held for these two seats in November 2028. The change in the number of justices would become effective on the first Monday of January 2029.
The provided bill text, identified as Senate Bill 382, focuses on revising laws related to immunization exemptions, which differs from the title "Establish the specie legal tender act" for HB 382.
Based on the provided text, this bill mandates that various entities, including state agencies, schools, child care facilities, and licensed health care providers, must accept religious or informed consent exemptions for required immunizations, injections, or medications for employment or attendance. It establishes that denying such an exemption is an unlawful discriminatory practice. Non-compliant entities could face a loss of state funding, and individuals denied an exemption may file complaints and seek compensatory damages. The bill also clarifies and strengthens the existing provisions for religious, medical, and informed consent exemptions for school attendance.
HB 657 would authorize cities and towns to review and approve the design and construction of public water and sewer systems, including extensions or alterations. To gain this authority, a city or town must employ or contract with a licensed professional engineer and establish specific review programs. This bill directly affects municipalities by giving them local oversight capabilities for these infrastructure projects within their jurisdictions. When conducting reviews, cities and towns must ensure compliance with existing state environmental and real property taking laws.
HB 148 proposes to exempt Social Security benefits from the state income tax in Montana. This bill would revise existing tax laws by amending specific sections of the Montana Code Annotated related to income tax definitions. If passed, it would directly affect individuals in Montana who receive Social Security income by eliminating their state tax liability on those benefits. The bill also specifies a delayed effective date and an applicability date for these changes.
HB 433 sought to protect an individual's right to keep and bear arms while awaiting trial. The bill proposed that a person could not be deprived of their Second Amendment or Montana constitutional firearm rights before a conviction. This protection would apply unless the individual was charged with a forcible felony or a crime of violence involving a weapon, as defined in statute 45-2-101. The bill aimed to preserve these rights during the pre-trial phase for most offenses.
HB 440 aimed to provide tax incentives for the sale of food produced in Montana. The bill proposed allowing both individuals and corporations to subtract income earned from selling Montana-produced food when calculating their state income taxes. This mechanism was intended to reduce the tax burden on those involved in the sale of local food products. The bill sought to amend current statutes governing individual and corporate income tax adjustments.
HB 309 clarifies the term of office for precinct committee representatives, who represent their political parties within a specific precinct. The bill specifies that a representative's 2-year term begins on the date their election is officially certified. This term then concludes on the date the subsequent election for that position is certified. For representatives appointed to fill a vacancy, their term concludes upon the certification of the next election.
HB 937 requires the Commissioner of Insurance to create and maintain a public website listing all admitted insurance carriers and producers in good standing. This website is intended to assist consumers in finding insurance coverage by allowing them to search for providers by type of insurance. The list will display information in a randomized order daily and include search functions, but it cannot feature advertising or charge fees to insurers or producers for inclusion. The bill appropriates $10,000 from the general fund to establish this website.
