2025 MTLeg Weekly Debrief: 3/31-4/4

The Frontier Institute has identified 13 new Key Bills and 28 Key Bill updates for the week of March 31 - April 4

HB 889: Revise local growth policy and county zoning laws
Sponsor: Representative Jedediah Hinkle (R) HD 67
Status: Hearing held 4/1 @3pm in House Local Government Committee. 
Note: HB 889 follows Frontier Institute’s recommendations to limit the extent of local zoning and land use regulation in order to protect Montanans’ fundamental right to use property.

SB 558: Provide a general statewide sales tax to replace school property taxes
Sponsor: Senator Shelley Vance (R) SD 34
Status: Hearing held 4/1 @9am in Senate Taxation Committee

SB 539: Revise property taxes and special assessments
Sponsor: Senator Greg Hertz (R) SD 7
Status: Passed Senate Tax Committee 6-2

HB 887: Provide property tax relief funded with lodging tax revenue
Sponsor: Representative Jane Gillette (R) HD 77
Status: Tabled in House Local Government Committee

HB 892: Revise allocation of the insurance premium tax to fund property tax relief 
Sponsor: Representative Jane Gillette (R) HD 77
Status: Tabled in House Taxation Committee

HB 893: Revise lottery state finance laws related to property tax relief 
Sponsor: Representative Katie Zolnikov (R) HD 44
Status: Hearing scheduled 4/3 2pm in House Appropriations Committee

HB 905: Providing for a refund of property taxes for failure to abate a public nuisance
Sponsor: Representative Greg Overstreet (R) HD 88
Status: Tabled in House Taxation Committee

HB 906: Provide property tax rebates for principal residents 
Sponsor: Representative Terry Falk (R) HD 10
Status: Tabled in House Taxation Committee

HB 916: Revise lodging tax allocation related to property tax relief
Sponsor: Representative Mike Vinton (R) HD 40
Status: Tabled in House Taxation Committee

HB 914: Generally revise allocation of lodging facility use taxes
Sponsor: Representative Scott Rosenzweig (D) HD 57
Status: Tabled in House Taxation Committee

SB 543: Revise judiciary laws
Sponsor: Senator Wylie Galt (R) SD 39
Status: Hearing scheduled 4/3 8am in Senate Judiciary Committee

SB 542: Freeze property values for 2 years
Sponsor: Senator Wylie Galt (R) SD 39
Status: Passed Senate Taxation Committee 7-1

HB 953: Revise medicaid laws related to direct primary care
Sponsor: Representative Ed Buttrey (R) HD 21
Status: Introduced

Key Bill Updates:

HB 841: Tabled in House Taxation Committee.

HB 842: Tabled in House Taxation Committee.

HB 846: Passed 2nd reading unanimously.

HB 840: Failed House floor.

SB 253: Hearing held 3/28 @8am in House Taxation Committee.

HB 462: Hearing scheduled 4/8 @3pm in Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee.

HB 28: Sent to enrolling.

SB 212: Passed House floor.

HB 65: Tables in Senate Finance and Claims Committee.

SB 14: Failed House floor.

SB 15: Failed House floor.

SB 21: Failed House floor.

SB 456: Sent to enrolling.

HB 250: Passed 2nd reading unanimously.

HB 251: Passed Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee unanimously.

SB 177: Passed House Education Committee.

HB 20: Sent to enrolling.

SB 101: Sent to enrolling.

SB 117: Passed Senate floor.

SB 330: Passed House floor.

SB 30: Passed House Judiciary Committee.

SB 212: Sent to enrolling.

HB 285: Passed Senate Natural Resources Committee.

SB 262: Passed House Local Government Committee.

HB 614: Passed Senate Local Government Committee.

HB 534: Passed Senate Local Government Committee.

SB 355: Passed Senate Local Government Committee.

HB 336: Passed Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee unanimously.

Note: Our MTLeg Weekly Debrief series is meant only to help our subscribers follow along with key legislation related to these 3 issue areas that we feel deserve extra focus. The legislation listed in each weekly update will NOT necessarily represent legislation we support or oppose. Each week’s key bill analysis represents new legislation introduced up to midnight Monday of the current week.