Budget & Taxes

introduced · Montana · Legislature Mar 15, 2025

LC 4230: Create a government evidence and impact commission

This bill establishes the Government Evidence and Impact Commission in Montana to improve how state government uses data for decision-making. The commission will consist of voting members from legislative committees, state agencies, and the public, along with nonvoting staff and oversight officials. Its main duties include developing a system to analyze the effectiveness of government programs, identifying inefficient or outdated initiatives, and recommending improvements based on evidence. The commission will meet quarterly starting June 2025, allow public comment, and receive $75,000 in initial funding to operate.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill promotes fiscal responsibility by improving government data use to identify inefficient programs and recommend improvements, aligning with budget management goals.75% confidence

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 5, 2025

LC 3223: Revise education laws to support advanced opportunities

This bill establishes a new funding program for Montana school districts to support advanced learning opportunities for students in grades 6 through 12. It creates a role called "advanced opportunity facilitator" who would help connect students with colleges, employers, and community organizations to prepare them for careers and higher education. Districts that develop and implement approved plans for these opportunities can use a portion of their existing quality educator payment funding to pay facilitators and receive additional payments for their work. The bill requires districts to submit applications and annual reports to qualify for funding, with the state board reviewing progress and limiting the number of districts that can receive aid based on available budget.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill establishes new funding program for school districts to support advanced learning opportunities, allowing districts to use existing quality educator payment funding for this purpose.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill establishes new funding for advanced learning opportunities and creates facilitator role to connect students with colleges and employers, expanding educational access.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Teachers

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Jan 23, 2025

LC 1551: Establish a grant program for aquatic recreational facilities

This bill establishes a state grant program to support public swimming pools in Montana, providing funding for construction, repairs, maintenance, and equipment purchases. The program is administered by the Department of Commerce and targets nonprofit organizations and local governments that operate public aquatic facilities, excluding private pools. Up to $5 million in state funds will be available for grants, with each individual project capped at $500,000 and no more than two projects funded per county. Recipients must submit applications, provide matching funds or in-kind contributions for larger grants, and adhere to project management and reporting requirements. The appropriation is authorized for the 2025-2027 biennium.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates up to $5M in state funds for public swimming pool grants, directly increasing funding for public aquatic facilities and recreation services.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 25, 2025

LC 22: Provide disclosure of certain corporate property tax settlements

This bill requires the Montana Department of Revenue to publicly disclose settlement agreements related to property tax disputes involving industrial and centrally assessed property on its website. The law mandates that when the department reaches a settlement with a property owner, it must make the agreement and the original proposed valuation available to the public online. This provision applies specifically to settlements concerning industrial property and centrally assessed property, ensuring transparency in how tax disputes are resolved. The bill also clarifies that these agreements are final and binding unless fraud or misrepresentation is proven, while establishing timelines for dispute resolution processes.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill increases government transparency by requiring public disclosure of property tax settlements, promoting fiscal accountability and reducing potential tax loopholes.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Property Tax

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Nov 18, 2024

LC 259: Establish state special revenue account for Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force

This bill creates a dedicated state special revenue account to support the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force, which is administered by the Department of Justice. The account can receive funds from various sources including gifts, grants, and donations, and any money deposited must be used for allowable costs approved by the task force. The legislation appropriates $1 to establish the account and requires the Secretary of State to notify all federally recognized tribal governments in Montana about the new fund. The account will remain in effect from July 1, 2025, until June 30, 2033, with any unspent funds and interest earned staying within the account.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill establishes a dedicated state revenue account to fund the Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force, increasing funding for public safety and justice services.85% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill establishes funding for Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force, addressing law enforcement and criminal justice concerns regarding missing persons and tribal justice.90% confidence

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 20, 2025

LC 4211: Revise allocations of coal trust revenue

This bill revises how interest earned from Montana's Coal Severance Tax Permanent Fund is distributed to various state accounts and programs. It directly affects state agencies and public services that receive funding from these coal tax revenues. The key provision extends the termination date for certain highway-related appropriations from June 30, 2027 to June 30, 2029, while maintaining existing allocation percentages for libraries, conservation districts, agriculture, parks, and other state programs. The legislation amends multiple existing statutes to update these distribution rules and ensure continued funding for designated state services.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill extends funding for highways and maintains allocations for libraries, conservation, agriculture, and parks from coal tax revenues, strengthening state budget and public service funding.90% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill extends highway-related appropriations funding dates from 2027 to 2029, maintaining existing allocation percentages for transportation infrastructure.75% confidence

Sub-Topics Roads & Highways

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Jan 15, 2025

LC 4308: Revise income tax brackets to lower income taxes

This Montana bill revises state income tax brackets to lower taxes by increasing the income thresholds at which higher tax rates apply. It directly affects all Montana taxpayers, including married couples, single filers, heads of households, and estates or trusts. The key change expands the income range taxed at the lower 4.7% rate while raising the threshold for the 5.9% rate, with similar adjustments made for net long-term capital gains. The bill also updates the inflation adjustment mechanism and applies changes retroactively to tax years beginning after December 31, 2024.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill lowers income taxes by increasing thresholds for higher tax rates, providing tax relief to Montana taxpayers across income levels.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Income Tax

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Jan 29, 2025

LC 1788: Provide funding for middle school career and technical education

This bill allocates $100,000 from the state general fund to support career and technical education programs in Montana's middle schools and junior high schools. The Superintendent of Public Instruction will distribute these funds to accredited school districts and establish rules for how the money is allocated, ensuring it is not limited by school size. The state funding is intended to supplement existing federal Perkins grants and expand access to career exploration courses for middle grade students. The appropriation is designated as a base funding level that may continue in future legislative sessions.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates $100,000 from state general fund to fund middle school career and technical education programs, directly supporting public education spending.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill allocates $100,000 to expand career and technical education programs in middle schools, directly increasing funding and educational access.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Career & Technical Education School Funding

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 17, 2025

LC 1991: Revert revenue from coal tax to coal trust

This bill modifies how Montana distributes revenue from coal severance taxes by permanently increasing the portion sent to the state's Coal Severance Tax Permanent Fund. It achieves this by redirecting $250,000 annually from the General Fund to the Permanent Fund, which will begin receiving all remaining coal tax revenue starting July 1, 2027. The legislation also maintains existing allocations for libraries, conservation districts, agriculture programs, parks, and other state accounts while adjusting how interest income from the Permanent Fund is distributed to various departments until the transition date.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill strengthens state fiscal management by redirecting coal tax revenue to a permanent fund, enhancing long-term budget stability and protecting essential program funding.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Revenue

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Dec 10, 2024

LC 103: Allow sharing of tax records for securities and insurance fraud investigations

This bill amends Montana's tax record confidentiality laws to allow the state auditor and the commissioner of securities and insurance to access taxpayer information for investigating fraud, noncompliance, and abuse under securities and insurance laws. The key provision expands existing exceptions to tax record privacy, permitting the sharing of return information with the state auditor's office specifically for securities and insurance investigations, which were not explicitly included in previous sharing agreements with other state agencies. The bill does not create new tax obligations or change how tax records are collected, but rather clarifies when these confidential records may be legally shared with state officials for enforcement purposes.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill strengthens tax record confidentiality exceptions to enable fraud investigations, promoting fiscal responsibility and government accountability in tax administration85% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill enhances fraud investigation capabilities by allowing tax record sharing, strengthening law enforcement tools for securities and insurance fraud cases.75% confidence

Sub-Topics Audits & Accountability

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