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Montana House deadlocks on bill to make water court permanent
Summary
House Bill 886, which would expand and make Montana’s water division court permanent, failed on a 50-50 tie after hours of debate and one amendment passed earlier in the session.
The Montana House of Representatives failed to advance House Bill 886 on a 50–50 tie, rejecting a measure that would have expanded and made permanent a specialized water division court to adjudicate water rights and related enforcement.
Sponsor Representative Brad Walsh, the bill’s primary floor sponsor, told members that “Water is rarely simple nor without controversy,” and said the measure was the product of a multi‑stakeholder review intended to centralize water adjudication and enforcement in a court with specialized expertise. He described provisions that would let the chief justice submit nominees to the governor and…
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