[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-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",6126999,"mediaKeyId","2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd","parentId",2665148,"title","Senate Local Government committee concurs on four House bills in executive action","audioSeconds",236,"startMs",3915000,"endMs",4151000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd&start=3915&end=4151","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd/thumbnail_3915000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6126999/Montana/Senate-Local-Government-committee-concurs-on-four-House-bills-in-executive-action","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6126999-17f0d9b43d4c4963d18c7c85133109ae/orig.mp4?Expires=1776514775&Signature=TQwgt3n3oIx4rfcQ1IFYMyH-nYnWxMZ19s0zidx9fLbdmtafH-Ga4aGOp~5hWOkcd0x~ZWxhjhxk6ccNt1GkVPyETMh28ACvejWQ~rAtHWYQ-g56gv7mdxK7Fk5nijzHfWIWixRmZeyBTPCRfLAdNFvCi4d2tl7CbOBmM8HieFFxGM06UkQKGnUQVDb6vIbn2x2ibJFhqZI1xcYL5tsUlR9RaeZgNX-U3uBe1ncWB~ZhN6HQh2P6OQv4sj-piVsEHAzxCoy1Tqu-6fLV2EyzfdPpHbZfgtn~egVicJ3Z4vYyJef8UJPHPSigDawaUptfRM2xKlqA0ajSK-vGRWiJyg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Montana Legislature","date","2025-03-17T00:00:00Z","article","The Montana Senate Local Government Committee took executive action and moved to concur on four House bills during the same session.

The committee recorded concurrence motions and voice votes on House Bill 37 (preliminary local government budget notices), House Bill 68 (authorizing county commissioners to initiate mandamus proceedings), House Bill 144 (building codes council membership) and House Bill 159 (revising rural improvement district laws). Committee members used voice votes and recorded several proxy yeas for members not present.

Clerks recorded proxy aye votes for Senators Bogner, Weber and Bowman during the concurrence on House Bill 37; the minutes note Senator Hertz will carry HB 37 on the Senate floor. During the HB 68 concurrence, clerks again recorded proxy ayes for Bogner, Weber and Bowman; the committee noted Senator Fern will carry that bill. For HB 144 clerks recorded aye proxies for Bogner, Weber and Bowman; the committee concurred in the bill. For HB 159 clerks recorded proxies (Bogner aye; Boldman and Weber by proxy) and the committee concurred; Senator Fern volunteered to carry HB 159 on the floor.

All four concurrence motions passed by voice vote and recorded proxies; the committee closed executive action and adjourned.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Local Government Mar 17, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","In an executive‑action session the committee moved to concur on House Bills 37, 68, 144 and 159 by voice votes and recorded several proxy votes; sponsors or floor carriers were noted for some bills.","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},6127003,"Bill would allow banks to foreclose family‑transfer lots despite two‑year conveyance limit",473,3317000,3790000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd&start=3317&end=3790","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd/thumbnail_3317000.jpg","/articles/6127003/Montana/Bill-would-allow-banks-to-foreclose-familytransfer-lots-despite-twoyear-conveyance-limit","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6127003-eba2db60dc8336ec859fd3e9c1b25a93/orig.mp4?Expires=1776514775&Signature=LFXPNw0uARQ0P--RZNJmTcCgiuBev0X49DUnPZJl7y4LLaxs~qDmFS~nWbC0Q76cYRLqGgtgk7hr4UN9ka2TQ0Y~AhuvspTRUqERPqI4YOfc2GyFtjJQpEi-nV1Wg5gbgwQz9j03ZIPeEwGsztaFtS4EPvNQQOddBA0kTQ5z6jnCCHVofuQ5s3B-xoxx28enUZ2WmuAWH0Baj8d2uqjXFT4TSiSIDMOJgRbqFvMvN2lDQor~590N4GdT60h~3bwpFgC1pamPdtp2XUqyWS3YaHqwTgYLyYQH3Bn4IjodbRHRNVRGOdUG2w3q1zQy0lFOzzYgeedTwMvvhP9x40xmiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Larry Brewster presented House Bill 520 to the committee as a narrowly tailored amendment to Montana’s family‑transfer rules. The bill would add exceptions allowing an immediate family member who receives a division of land to have that parcel pledged as collateral and to allow foreclosure sales despite the usual two‑year nonconveyance period.

Sam Sill, representing the Montana Bankers Association, said lenders sometimes must decline otherwise sound loans because a family‑transferred lot cannot be conveyed or foreclosed under the existing two‑year restriction. “If the lot can’t be conveyed to anybody, that means if they don’t pay the mortgage, the bank can’t foreclose,” Sill said. He said the change simply removes the lenders’ practical barrier while leaving the basic family‑transfer structure intact.

Karen Alley of the Montana Association of Counties said the statutory holding period can prevent recipients from using a lot to finance a home; county regulators and lenders need the ability to use the parcel as collateral to permit expected development of the lot. Committee members asked why the two‑year period was set; witnesses said the limit was chosen during earlier legislation (Senate Bill 158) to standardize a range of county practices.

No opponents were listed in the hearing record and the committee closed the hearing after the sponsor’s closing remarks.","House Bill 520 would exempt foreclosure sales from the two‑year nonconveyance restriction on family transfer lots so lenders can take collateral and make loans to buyers of family‑transferred parcels, proponents told the committee.",{"_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},6127008,"Bill to create a local appeal process for septic permit decisions draws cautious support and requests to broaden scope",1059,2237000,3296000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd&start=2237&end=3296","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd/thumbnail_2237000.jpg","/articles/6127008/Montana/Bill-to-create-a-local-appeal-process-for-septic-permit-decisions-draws-cautious-support-and-requests-to-broaden-scope","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6127008-abc6718c3c4de0e346555f1aa531cdd9/orig.mp4?Expires=1776514775&Signature=RrS0IjdsvtcsOPp2WWYlYPxA5x6VZpL~peuqaJm-pp292Zdq1FTqW5csreUV495jN~xm9BaL9DQ~-p4-J7pDvL3R~wjHP~VUMk7lO4IiaDUvCd6mRgmJh1GFlbaNJjSeD6Fb7BQ~iSjSvwme0hd0GPiq4zOA3cw0-ofNkaiWln0YscTPFNcUbXPm3Dua6V5v1iOWBGTtoIwm4hLhq~kyI7QMPmrIJcj-qBLRqkca-q-pzjxCQ2-x6Hyhfeh~ljG3LbAKdTTC1v6xjtifnwrH2wMDec4tKMVkl7M~9FYBeVuI-hmj-733dd845oiFVzeVvjA5QxXiGWxgA7hMC6YvHQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Larry Brewster presented House Bill 318 to the Senate Local Government Committee as a measure to create an appeals path when a sanitarian or local regulation imposes additional requirements that increase permit costs by more than $500.

Brewster said the bill would let an applicant ask the local governing body to review whether an added requirement is appropriate. “You could ask them to judge whether that was a good decision,” Brewster said, describing the intent to have a local, independent review of substantial added requirements after a permit determination.

Lisa Dworak, executive director of the Confluence Public Health Alliance, testified as a soft opponent and offered an amendment to broaden the proposed appeal. She and other public‑health witnesses supported an appeals process but recommended the bill allow appeals during permitting as well as inspection, and to remove a narrow specification that appeals must go to the local governing body. Dworak said local governing bodies vary substantially across the state and suggested appeals should be structured when counties adopt on‑site wastewater regulations so communities can determine the appropriate forum.

Shannon Theriault, Missoula Public Health environmental health director, also supported an appeals process but asked that the language be broader and more consistent with existing practices in some counties. Gallatin County officials said they have a longstanding appeals rule and would support an amendment that clarifies appeal forums; they said appeals are rarely used and typically concern permits that cannot be followed as issued.

Testimony included data from Missoula that roughly 20 percent of inspected systems need some change, most of them minor, and that many installers are recertified annually and coached on frequent issues. Senators pressed about practical effects and whether the amendment would be a friendly change; the sponsor indicated willingness to accept local‑governing‑body language if it retains local elected officials’ role.

The committee closed the hearing after testimony and discussion; no committee vote is recorded in the transcript.","Representative Larry Brewster’s House Bill 318 would require an appeal process for certain added local requirements on septic system permits; public‑health associations supported an appeals process but proposed amendments to broaden the scope and clarify which local body would hear appeals.",{"_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},6127012,"Committee hears bill to resolve conflict between septic permitting and subdivision rules",376,1220000,1596000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd&start=1220&end=1596","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd/thumbnail_1220000.jpg","/articles/6127012/Montana/Committee-hears-bill-to-resolve-conflict-between-septic-permitting-and-subdivision-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6127012-996e941e5f2ab4984f0b975f9a61c497/orig.mp4?Expires=1776514775&Signature=Ogz45P3uw-sFn-eHlzeVkt4TrzmfYKQEGa6T1~IqC95lw0ldara0nrW2PplHvIl802hVRmG1IuMR2vy96jX4PfinkYT2saHoDBesYw0uWoCc3P5WadZ2GHx3id93X2iCdslwmIsRmOjAl4qr4m-qyAO3Jk7XgdF5FSIgOEcvXVnSfyPumMieNQobzozuLGxAEP2Qa9~eI8Yc~DgckgMZVfPTlHzYqANUlEn2Owtr-G94xpa01WrycT6mrm1R-4mSSVz48~exZewFWTLSM8UYnLbH-CIP-efIAw3yn6BM2yIhfmJm5d5bSV0x9dzTV6K9EWuuwyrgJ~6iTjmlfscazw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Courtney Sprunger, sponsor of House Bill 180, told the Senate Local Government Committee the bill would reconcile a persistent conflict between local health rules for septic mixing zones and state subdivision law under Title 76.

“Most mixing zones are between several hundred feet,” Rachel Clark, testifying for environmental permitting, said, and “in most cases a well cannot be placed within a hundred feet of a mixing zone.” Clark and other proponents described cases in which drain fields legally permitted under local health regulations later became unusable for a property split because sanitation‑act rules tied to subdivision review required mixing zones to remain inside parcel boundaries.

The bill would grandfather septic systems that were legally permitted under local health rules, allow those mixing zones to continue to be used when a property is divided, and require that future permits issued under Title 50 keep mixing zones inside a parcel. Sprunger told the committee the effective date provision would allow systems previously approved by a county to proceed to Sanitation Act review; she said the bill’s changes would take effect on the bill’s effective date (the sponsor cited October 1 as the intended implementation date).

Several public‑health officials and county sanitarians supported the bill. Shannon Theriault, environmental health director at Missoula Public Health, representing the Montana Environmental Health Association, said the change “just makes a lot of sense” and reduces unexpected costs to property owners who lawfully installed systems under county review. Gallatin County’s land sanitarian (Krahn) and county reviewers said the bill clarifies confusion for both applicants and local reviewers.

Proponents and the sponsor said the measure follows interim work with the Department of Environmental Quality after a similar bill reached the governor last session and was vetoed; Sprunger told the committee DEQ concerns were addressed during the interim. County and consulting sanitarians at the hearing said the bill would prevent owners from being required to abandon legally permitted drainfields when they split property.

Committee members asked technical questions about how mixing zones are assessed and how direction of groundwater is determined; Clark described using potentiometric maps or monitoring wells to triangulate groundwater flow in most cases.

The hearing closed without a committee vote; supporters asked the committee to move the bill forward.","Representative Courtney Sprunger and public‑health officials told the committee House Bill 180 would grandfather legally permitted septic mixing zones and align local health permitting with state subdivision rules to avoid forcing property owners to abandon systems when dividing lots.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6127017,"Bill would let some homeowners associations record open space on county records without quiet-title suits",607,603000,1210000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd&start=603&end=1210","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2665148-b7c19334ac33a00d9bf2afaff0655cdd/thumbnail_603000.jpg","/articles/6127017/Montana/Bill-would-let-some-homeowners-associations-record-open-space-on-county-records-without-quiet-title-suits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6127017-d7c4f4b64047fcb83c5a37839fc9aabe/orig.mp4?Expires=1776514775&Signature=Rp37V7HWc9NGrjOjxkymchTnWlrTEp5uRsfgjQGZ24Unbid0KOz50AvcjjOePlDdtoTiFYBYMBByad743w6udLX~7MZcAF4qNrOXxbPIuUVElNdCK2XwfmXrGMt58vpshLF6prkse~Yjlma81uZefGY5pcKZmK20IfH1NZcZrx3bbD0Qfx~041ytcPsnYYkMAvjh-4OKYJfqtUjcxuR1jCFUq4nTZNg0BueNJU9bW~9AAf0X4ZFuLhx~pzPbipEpenlTByRUayS753sr7hcwyckifS8CCNjhU9dfR~HdwmRsvmr0cksbTFCv92pGgrwVfXao-i25n0~MgNAefWpceg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Alana Griffith, sponsor of House Bill 233, told the Senate Local Government Committee that the bill would let counties and cities place certain subdivision common open space on property rolls and in county clerk and recorder records in limited circumstances.

Griffith said the measure is intended to help homeowners associations that discover shared parkland, sidewalks or private roads were never put into their name and now face expensive quiet‑title actions. “The only method to get open space technically into your name right now is Quiet Title Action,” Representative Alana Griffith said during the hearing.

The bill applies only when the municipality or county reviewing a preliminary plat or final plat finds the developer intended the area to be owned and maintained by the homeowners association and the plat or preliminary plat contains language to that effect. Griffith told senators the bill is not an attempt to “perfect title” — quiet‑title litigation remains the legal route when ownership is unclear — but rather to let local governments record circumstances they can reasonably determine from plats and the preliminary‑plat process.

Senator Hertz asked whether the Department of Revenue had reviewed the bill. “No,” Griffith said, but she said she had consulted county planning officials in a number of counties, including Gallatin, Flathead, Richland, Broadwater, Park and Madison.

Senator Pope asked whether the provision would allow transfer to local government; Griffith replied that when a plat or preliminary plat specifically requires transfer to the city or county, the HOA would not be able to claim it. The sponsor also confirmed the bill would not apply to very old properties that predate the state subdivision planning act; those parcels would still require quiet title to resolve ownership.

Griffith said insurance companies increasingly require additional riders for open space that is not clearly owned by the HOA, and that some associations seek to transfer small remaining park parcels to local government so the HOA can dissolve when it has no other assets to manage.

The committee held the bill hearing and asked technical questions of the sponsor. No formal committee vote occurred during the hearing recorded in the transcript.","Representative Alana Griffith told the Senate Local Government Committee that House Bill 233 would allow certain subdivision common areas to be put on county records when plats or preliminary plats expressly assign them to an HOA, avoiding costly quiet‑title litigation in some cases.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate Local Government committee concurs on four House bills in executive action

Bill would allow banks to foreclose family‑transfer lots despite two‑year conveyance limit

Bill to create a local appeal process for septic permit decisions draws cautious support and requests to broaden scope

Committee hears bill to resolve conflict between septic permitting and subdivision rules

Bill would let some homeowners associations record open space on county records without quiet-title suits