Montana Bills

HB 224 proposes to prohibit judges and judicial candidates from knowingly seeking, accepting, using, advertising, promoting, or otherwise benefiting from contributions or endorsements from a political party. This bill directly affects individuals running for or serving in judicial positions. It establishes a new section of law that outlines these unlawful actions concerning political party involvement.

HB 331 proposes to revise the laws governing marijuana advertising. The bill defines key terms such as "advertise," "billboard," and "commercial mascot" to clarify what constitutes advertising for marijuana and its products. It directly affects licensed marijuana businesses, including dispensaries, cultivators, and manufacturers, by amending specific sections of the Montana Code Annotated related to their advertising practices.

HB 564 would have required individuals holding deer or elk hunting licenses to report their hunting activity to the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks for each animal during the license year. Hunters who reported by February 15 could choose to receive one bonus point for either a deer or elk. Conversely, those who failed to report by the end of the license year would be assessed an administrative fee ranging from $5 to $50, payable before purchasing a new base hunting license. The bill also directed the department to develop a system for collecting these mandatory reports and defined "hunting activity" to include harvest success, locations, and dates.

HB 635 proposes to prohibit state and local government agencies from funding, establishing, or supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. It would prevent these agencies from requiring employees to participate in DEI programs or spending public funds on related services or staff. The bill defines DEI programs as activities that focus on describing power structures, methods to dismantle them, or advancing theories like implicit bias or systemic oppression. However, it includes exceptions for complying with federal law, specific state human rights laws, court orders, and offering sexual harassment training. This legislation directly affects state and local government agencies and their employees in Montana.

HB 652 aimed to revise state income taxation by providing a full income tax exemption for military pensions, retirement, and survivor benefits. This bill would have directly affected veterans, military retirees, and their survivors by eliminating state income taxes on these specific forms of income. The proposed changes included amending sections of the Montana Code Annotated related to income definitions and tax provisions.

HB 548 proposes new requirements for admitting expert witness testimony in Montana courts. The bill mandates that courts consider four specific factors before allowing an expert witness to testify under Rule 702 of the Montana Rules of Evidence. These factors include whether the expert's knowledge will help the court, if the testimony is based on sufficient facts, if reliable principles and methods were used, and if those methods were reliably applied to the case. This directly affects how expert testimony is evaluated and admitted in legal proceedings, impacting attorneys, expert witnesses, and litigants.

HB 771 aimed to revise university housing policies for the Montana University System. It would have prevented universities from requiring students to live on campus if they live with an immediate family member whose principal residence is within a one-hour drive of the campus. Students could be required to submit a form confirming their off-campus residence with a parent, guardian, grandparent, aunt/uncle, or adult sibling. Universities would have had two business days to approve or deny such requests, provided the student met the specified conditions.

HB 858 aimed to revise the coal severance tax coal washing credit in Montana. The bill proposed to extend the termination date for specific definitions related to "coal washing" and "contract sales price," which are used to calculate this tax credit. If passed, these definitions, relevant to coal mining operations, would have remained in effect until July 1, 2027, rather than expiring earlier. The bill also included a provision for notifying tribal governments about the act.

HB 204, titled "Revise gambling laws related gambling addiction," sought to update state gambling regulations. The bill required that all video gambling machines display information about gambling addiction, including contact details for support organizations. This information would need to be placed on the front of the machine, clearly visible and legible to users. Machines that did not comply with this requirement would not be permitted for public use, with the changes applying starting October 1, 2025.

HB 733 aimed to prohibit the enforcement of certain federal firearms laws within Montana. It would have prevented peace officers, state employees, and employees of political subdivisions from enforcing federal firearms laws, rules, executive orders, or regulations. This prohibition would apply to federal measures enacted after November 9, 1889, that are more restrictive than Montana's existing firearms laws. The bill was intended to take effect immediately upon passage and approval, with retroactive applicability to relevant federal laws adopted or interpreted more restrictively since November 8, 1889.

HB 73 proposes to repeal a Montana law that currently allows livestock or poultry owners to kill eagles, predatory hawks, and owls. If passed, the bill would remove the state's authorization for such actions by specifically repealing Section 87-5-209 of the Montana Code Annotated. This change would directly affect livestock and poultry owners by revoking their legal permission to destroy these specific bird species.

HB 615 revises how interest earned from the coal severance tax permanent fund is distributed to state programs. The bill specifically allocates $2 million to the Department of Justice to partially fund highway patrol officers' salaries. It also extends the termination date for several existing appropriations from this fund, pushing them from June 2027 to June 2029. These extended appropriations continue to support programs related to agriculture, commerce, and highway services, affecting various state agencies and the public services they provide.