Committee hears bill to cap liability for agricultural vehicles on Montana roads

The House Transportation Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 212, introduced by Representative Edward Byrne, that would limit civil liability for operators of agricultural vehicles on roads and widen the law's definition of agricultural operations to include employees and third-party contractors.

The bill, Byrne said, "is a 1 page bill with, 1 line on the other side. The rest of the 20 pages is all the amendment for, the definition." He told the committee the measure would adopt liability limits already used for some state highway operations — $750,000 per claim and $1.5 million per occurrence — and would apply across roads and highways in Montana.

Supporters included the Montana Farm Bureau Federation and farmers who described recent collisions with slow-moving implements that generated lawsuits…