[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6353441,"mediaKeyId","2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e","parentId",2221293,"title","Revenue department proposes automatic return of small unclaimed property balances","audioSeconds",297,"startMs",3360000,"endMs",3657000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e&start=3360&end=3657","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e/thumbnail_3360000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6353441/Montana/Revenue-department-proposes-automatic-return-of-small-unclaimed-property-balances","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6353441-17d997a11e228b3c702d0a5f307e0147/orig.mp4?Expires=1776144192&Signature=Ktkih0jGZJ~NuTYdC-~tUF01isxfCnLDDhed3GmnIt3hq1kfA7UrA7d3fV7kjE2BacOWpdqUpMlYevFZ1qbGhisUZmKYFjv5B72bPdAOQKCrXk~8li14PV68LTheZVn1D6hZ99PGPCpgvy7xDLg8gxBjpwWhcntHChAGGMF0bpveKSwiKuhc7if52hFX8QFW6kelqzbB5bPpSdwIMduTRTmScYROxyYnmW6M~Av0umSK7nZzSGSSRb1-m4SIyZ4sZEhXUxkBjI21ZRqhL-GpYV3C6khZW78ErFw7k-570hZTMvUrOlk64KalLj3aXPtOVGnFOz8KPiFBYVt7etOwVg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montana Legislature","date","2025-02-03T00:00:00Z","article","House Bill 88, carried in the House by Rep. Marcia Bertolio (House District 75) at the request of the Department of Revenue, would authorize the department to automatically return unclaimed property valued at $1,000 or less when it can validate the apparent owner's identity and entitlement.

Representative Marcia Bertolio described the department's unclaimed-property holdings and the bill's purpose. \"The Department is holding more than $148,000,000,\" she said during the hearing, adding roughly $133 million is cash and about $15 million is securities; the agency also holds over 1,500 tangible items in a secured vault.

Jason Lay, bureau chief in the Department of Revenue's Business and Income Taxes Division, explained how the proposed subsection would work: the administrator would verify the apparent owner (usually using tax data), validate identity and address, and limit auto-payments to property valued at $1,000 or less. Lay said the threshold would capture approximately 90% of unclaimed properties the department currently holds, and that 17 of 38 responding states in a 2024 survey already use some form of automatic return.

Russ Christianson, the department's unclaimed-property unit manager, said most holdings are cash from uncashed paychecks, insurance proceeds and similar items; tangible items (like jewelry) typically come from abandoned safe-deposit boxes.

Committee members asked about recordkeeping and proof of payment; department staff said claim files would retain supporting documents (IDs, social-security validation, trust documents where applicable) and that the system notes a claim as closed when paid. No opponents appeared during the hearing. The bill was left in committee for further consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate State Administration 2025-02-03","oneSentenceSummary","House Bill 88 would let the Department of Revenue automatically return unclaimed property of $1,000 or less when it can validate an owner's identity. The department said automatic payments would quickly return roughly 90% of current holdings and reduce claim-processing steps.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MT, Montana","taxId",77694,"location","Montana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6353446,"Committee hears bill to shorten inter-entity loan paperwork for federal reimbursements",656,2433000,3089000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e&start=2433&end=3089","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e/thumbnail_2433000.jpg","/articles/6353446/Montana/Committee-hears-bill-to-shorten-inter-entity-loan-paperwork-for-federal-reimbursements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6353446-eac0dac5d7cb3e75a348025119d23b6c/orig.mp4?Expires=1776144192&Signature=jOcgqQjxfle1H~SiMrEzXIapwCM-Sx85lCke7bhAKs1bvpJ7VsdLP37NwX2l7IqD4htNY0-1GZr16ZY8M2gE0GPUbKmHQsg3DXlk5EnUo4vreJl72KGyW9cV7csH2wbvSr0Ht90SApXmNRuXl1kIjfjqFDjDGhfERW3R5k5mek~RKuP-ySBPj-ezX4lNDXhSPs5vFJok5XRKl8S1mzxEu4aeW8iIZC1qXaf47Arn7ozybpTxCYCE7iZtXLdmXXoa34ozy7BA0LrW0khWFbagwshqOX6u7wwANhbpiGFX44PTdq50GHG8W76kLm5G4Qu8H6GQ-tq4NxCjfe0yeF~fug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Bill 61, sponsored by Representative Gary Perry (House District 35), would streamline inter-entity loan paperwork for state agencies that temporarily advance cash while waiting for federal reimbursements. Agency finance directors and the Department of Administration told the Senate State Administration Committee the change would substantially reduce accounting work while preserving fiscal controls.

Representative Gary Perry described the problem as frequent short-term loans between state funds and the general fund while agencies await federal reimbursements. Misty Ann Giles, Director of the Department of Administration, explained the proposal would allow a seven-day grace period before a formal inter-entity loan would be required, reducing repetitive journal entries at fiscal year end.

Jennifer Thompson, State Accountant with the Department of Administration, told the committee her office processed more than 1,600 journal lines associated with federal loans last year and that about 300 federal funds carried an outstanding loan balance at fiscal year end. She said HB61 would allow a single year-end journal entry instead of thousands of agency-level entries while maintaining compliance with GAAP.

Multiple agency CFOs testified in favor, including representatives of Transportation, Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and the Department of Military Affairs, saying the bill would reduce administrative burden and free staff to focus on reconciliation and timely reimbursement requests. Committee members questioned how the administration would guard against federal funding cuts; the Department of Administration said it would apply increased scrutiny and coordinate with the budget office on loans tied to at-risk federal programs.

No committee vote occurred during the hearing; the bill drew broad administrative support.","House Bill 61 would limit the time state agencies may carry inter-entity loans for federal-reimbursement timing to seven days, reducing recurring journal-entry work for agency accounting staffs, proponents said. Department of Administration and multiple agencies supported the measure.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6353452,"Committee reviews MPERA housekeeping bill to align pensions with federal rules",454,1702000,2156000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e&start=1702&end=2156","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e/thumbnail_1702000.jpg","/articles/6353452/Montana/Committee-reviews-MPERA-housekeeping-bill-to-align-pensions-with-federal-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6353452-8e7286e3bf4da73dfbde747b0cf849fc/orig.mp4?Expires=1776144192&Signature=kPUke3HFTA6BGty8CvgSjQmfOpxxrJ5yRrwBsa9~td3idp6g6MgzashTtJ1CFIzHCswqxvrFZc1nfzTNaJx0rMG0iADKtOSMlwRa7yyYgKMOympiUfOurRoocDa317T1hBoZhv0q9uTkjFTSm8QnrpX7WtyNDLgVPprQv0CWzGY-S-l6gi718SN9goS5MXmykACVVkV5T2VdfCU4zt2AlBB7XfKP990mnJCR6Gr07iqdDWJ7GkhZ3MksF9OHHfGGnolXS3pJqgOJ7cBkZpk2-nYUQ8tI0triWnKR81d38eHKdtyiZkeflF84aZEGOCgXkt5VD59cTn0g01nDUzy2Ig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Bill 62, carried in the House by Rep. Julie Darling (House District 84), is the biennial housekeeping bill for the Montana Public Employee Retirement Administration (MPERA). Agency staff described a package of technical and compliance changes intended to align state statutes with federal tax law and administrative practice.

William Hollahan, Executive Director of the public pension system, walked the committee through key changes, including clarifying that certain allowances and per diems are not pensionable compensation, increasing clarity on legislator participation and retirement elections, adjusting the deadline to apply for disability retirement from four months to one year post-termination, and bringing required minimum distribution (RMD) rules into alignment with federal Secure Act 2 changes.

Hollahan said the disability-application change narrows an open-ended statutory exposure that produced difficult-to-substantiate claims, and the RMD changes reflect the federal increase in distribution ages under the SECURE Act 2.0. The bill also makes consistent non-pensionability treatment across multiple retirement systems (PERS, highway patrol, sheriffs, municipal police, firefighters). No opponents appeared; the committee asked routine questions about the board process and approvals.

No committee vote was recorded at the hearing; MPERA staff said the legislation was recommended by the MPERA board and submitted for drafting with interim committee approval.","House Bill 62, the regular MPERA (public pensions) housekeeping bill, was presented to the Senate State Administration Committee by Representative Julie Darling and MPERA staff. The bill updates definitions, required minimum distribution ages and certain administrative rules to conform with federal tax law changes.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6353456,"Committee backs bill to designate a Montana Mining Day; hearing draws industry and labor support",1494,2682000,4176000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e&start=2682&end=4176","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e/thumbnail_2682000.jpg","/articles/6353456/Montana/Committee-backs-bill-to-designate-a-Montana-Mining-Day-hearing-draws-industry-and-labor-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6353456-2d427b16f58486fa79721cbcc927b174/orig.mp4?Expires=1776144192&Signature=eVumcHVEcZzi0ua0KFc0RcFI198U0BeV-6UtIvGW4j09Q7XIUpED3PZjBJeb66IAmYZtLPdFNE8XQe2p9zRj3Wss~2x25SF-Wox4-qYPitXHSS27qH3q5X8JZ28cjVXto-jIWoGNR3GSYxcwDfPtNZywuALoMImowizuwLb7HOXGZPOaOCr~DrJb5vi14bXvV6mXN4ip8nUHkWmM8QQeCrwbBCg2n2LZWvnd53zervQY~S3v0lJ5z-XU2PNhc5hOtYcsBG2syD0Pd6DI5hVKWZbgMNQkBo4xRtQqzt45v29S3s5Uo7dFN4XuR50kLsHG2JSm2Yt7SGnyKzp2GQrAQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Bill 203, sponsored in the House by Representative Curtis Schomer (House District 48), would designate a state day to recognize Montana's mining heritage and contemporary mining industry.

Representative Curtis Schomer, who said he has 19 years' experience as an underground miner, opened the bill hearing and described the proposal as “a very special bill” noting the state seal motto Oro y Plata and the industry's role in Montana history. Proponents included Matt Vincent of the Montana Mining Association, George Harris of the Montana Coal Council, Sheridan Hoyer of the Montana Chamber of Commerce, Amanda Frickle of the Montana AFL-CIO, and others who highlighted both mining's historical role and the modern industry's economic contributions.

Matt Vincent (Montana Mining Association) told the committee that mining continues to contribute to the state's economy and supports thousands of jobs; George Harris, executive director of the Montana Coal Council, provided summary figures for coal-related revenues and taxes, and called mining \"a pillar of our economy.\" Labor representatives, including Amanda Frickle of the Montana AFL-CIO, supported the bill and emphasized mining's role in the state's organized-labor history.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about federal land access and permitting. In response, George Harris said that, to his knowledge, federal action on specific BLM land releases was still pending and tied to larger federal legislation. No opponents appeared at the hearing. During the committee's later executive action, the committee voted to concur on House Bill 203; the committee recorded a concurrence vote of 7 in favor and 2 opposed.

The committee's concurrence sends the bill to the full Senate with the committee's recommendation to concur with the House version.","House Bill 203, to create a Montana Mining Day, drew bipartisan support at the Senate State Administration Committee. Mining industry groups, labor and conservation representatives testified in favor, emphasizing mining's historical and current economic role.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6353460,"Committee hears bill to keep uncontested precinct committee posts off ballots",0,4492000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e&start=4492&end=4492","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2221293-22a18e315dd53126154ebfa1eea3d66e/thumbnail_4492000.jpg","/articles/6353460/Montana/Committee-hears-bill-to-keep-uncontested-precinct-committee-posts-off-ballots","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6353460-ced9fc0a1d3c25c9eeabc996ecbef55e/orig.mp4?Expires=1776144192&Signature=aeDtgdLHaSNLDaByxFkjnNndaCQnlxf3QTvxGUWDq0ujOfXeaebOyX4LwNoPvNE67jt0w3ykP7HMX6ghsNtX2CoxZ8yZIVWgKRho7cWpt2MV-q24r3K5wUtp132j7Pe8Johmi~ZFuRoPdtXIKpBBzDYeTd2qJfyek6hwT78wwsd8XUgv1w0pQarfPxpo8fPkG4PRV2d8wZuz01vqDoE5MrgIKLF3ZYX343o0x8ve9kzQ5GupRpA0G5dJB1JyfyavTZ5ETxpKGJqO8-SCtzKVXjpRp5ZU3CWIiAVo4-iX3C2Db57uRIlf8Nw19lPghiH6FQq2i581zVg1tdHRR1qTKQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 184, introduced by Sen. Matt Regier (R), would clarify that only contested precinct committee person races appear on the ballot, keeping uncontested precinct committee persons off the ballot.

The change would apply when a precinct has both a man and a woman position but only one contest is challenged; under current practice some counties put both names on the ballot. \"That space, that real estate on the ballot is premium,\" Regina Plentenberg, appearing for the Montana Association of Clerks and Recorders, told the committee, arguing removing unnecessary contests can lower printing and programming costs and shorten counts.

The bill sponsor, Senator Matt Regier (Senate District 5), said the measure is a technical clarification to match election administration practice in his district and elsewhere. He described the bill as a targeted cleanup: uncontested precinct members would not be added to ballots simply because a co-located race is contested. \"It just clarifies that the uncontested precinct person does not go on the ballot,\" Regier said.

Plentenberg told the committee county clerks often face programming and printing burdens when ballots include uncontested races; she said the change would usually remove low-value entries and that election space is limited. No opponents appeared at the hearing and committee members had only brief procedural questions about term length and related clarifying legislation.

The committee took no formal vote during the hearing. The bill remains in committee for further consideration.

The hearing record shows brief questioning about whether removing the name from the ballot affects the officeholder's term; the sponsor and witnesses said it would not affect the term of office.","The Senate State Administration Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 184, which would prevent uncontested precinct committee persons from appearing on primary ballots. County election officials and the bill sponsor said the change would reduce ballot printing and programming costs.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Revenue department proposes automatic return of small unclaimed property balances

Committee hears bill to shorten inter-entity loan paperwork for federal reimbursements

Committee reviews MPERA housekeeping bill to align pensions with federal rules

Committee backs bill to designate a Montana Mining Day; hearing draws industry and labor support

Committee hears bill to keep uncontested precinct committee posts off ballots