Montana House advances energy procurement overhaul, tribal funding resolution and multiple cleanup bills; votes recorded

The Montana House of Representatives on second reading advanced a package of bills that included a major revision of the state energy resource procurement process, a joint resolution urging Congress to fully fund tribal law enforcement, continued funding authority for mine and asbestos site cleanup, and several technical cleanup and administrative bills.

The most substantive debate centered on House Bill 55, a measure to revise integrated resource planning and procurement processes for utilities and to create an independent evaluator to oversee requests for proposals. "It's paramount to the process that we revised the process to include the public," sponsor Representative Perry said, arguing the bill adds transparency and an independent review to speed and broaden bids for generation resources.

Supporters said the bill responds to long, contested procurement cycles and prepares the state for expected demand growth. Opponents said rule-making for the new process finished only in 2024 and that the Legislature is changing the system before an initial full acquisition cycle has played out. Representative Quorum (opposition) said, "we're changing the process before we even know how the new process works." The measure passed second reading 75–24.

The House also debated and recommended House Joint Resolution 1, introduced by Representative RunningWolf, urging the U.S. Congress to fully fund public safety and law enforcement on Montana Indian reservations. RunningWolf told members that uneven federal funding contributes to "systematic inequalities" in public safety on reservations and that increased funding would help staffing, equipment, and response capacity. HJ1 passed second reading 96–3.

House Bill 58, carried by Representative Schillinger, seeks to address funding shortfalls at legacy mine and asbestos sites. Schillinger said the trust account for the CR Kendall mine was depleted in 2023 and described the bill as permitting transfers and state contributions to allow ongoing maintenance and water treatment; he said the bill also extends state cost-share authority for Libby asbestos site operations through 2038. Schillinger reported a roughly $2.4 million shortfall in site trust funds and said the measure allows DEQ to maximize federal funds while addressing the state shortfall. HB58 passed second reading 99–0.

Other bills taken up were largely technical or agency-request cleanup bills, including HB24 (education/kindergarten funding and county superintendent reporting), HB26 (repealing the 2009 mercury-added thermostat collection act at the Department of Environmental Quality's request), HB31 (clarifying bonding reductions for wind and solar decommissioning), HB42 and HB43 (title 60 and 61 definition reorganizations for highways and traffic), HB46 (clarifying change-of-attorney rules as they apply to the Office of Public Defender), HB48 (exempting certain wastewater treatment ponds from the Dam Safety Act when regulated by DEQ), HB53 (allowing the Department of Military Affairs to use troop labor on certain projects, amended on the floor), HB67 (technical fixes for the Teachers Retirement System), HB75 (standardizing training grace periods for public safety officers), HB89 (deadline for disaster-property-tax-relief claims), and HB117 (continuing the criminal justice data warehouse priorities). Most of these bills passed second reading by large margins; several were unanimous or nearly unanimous.

Floor action included a unanimous or near-unanimous recommendation to pass many items, with a handful of contested votes where members raised policy or timing concerns. Representative Mercer questioned HB46 (change of attorney for public defenders), expressing concern that the bill's language could permit reassignment late in a case and cause disruption; the sponsor, Representative Revis, said the bill clarifies statutory language and that Title 47 still governs public defender assignments and judicial oversight.

Votes at a glance (second reading outcomes; vote tallies recorded on the floor): - HB55 (public utility resource planning, independent evaluator) — recommended do pass, 75 yes, 24 no. - HJ1 (urging Congress to fully fund tribal law enforcement) — recommended do pass, 96 yes, 3 no. - HB58 (mine remediation and Libby asbestos funding) — recommended do pass, 99 yes, 0 no. - HB24 (education/kindergarten counts and county superintendent duties) — recommended do pass, 91 yes, 8 no. - HB26 (repeal mercury-added thermostat act) — recommended do pass, 98 yes, 1 no. - HB31 (bonding for wind/solar decommissioning) — recommended do pass, 99 yes, 0 no. - HB42 (highway definitions/title 60 cleanup) — recommended do pass, 99 yes, 0 no. - HB43 (motor vehicle traffic/title 61 cleanup) — recommended do pass, 97 yes, 1 no. - HB45 (telecommunications law repeal / PSC authority changes) — recommended do pass, 89 yes, 10 no. - HB46 (change of attorney / public defenders) — recommended do pass, 90 yes, 9 no. - HB48 (dam safety exemptions for wastewater ponds) — recommended do pass, 99 yes, 0 no. - HB53 (allow troop labor for certain public works; amended) — amendment adopted; recommended do pass, 97 yes, 2 no. - HB67 (Teachers Retirement System technical revisions) — recommended do pass, 98 yes, 1 no. - HB75 (public safety officer standards / POST grace period) — recommended do pass, 99 yes, 0 no. - HB89 (deadline for natural-disaster property tax relief applications) — recommended do pass, 86 yes, 13 no. - HB117 (criminal justice data warehouse priorities) — recommended do pass, 96 yes, 3 no.

The floor also completed several third-reading passages that were recorded as final passage earlier in the day: HB29 (Revise administration of property tax exemptions) passed the House 98–0; HB37 (property tax information in preliminary budgets) passed 90–8; HB41 (dangerous drug schedule revisions) passed 85–13.

What happened next: the Committee of the Whole rose and the House adopted the committee report. Majority Leader Fitzpatrick moved and the House adjourned to reconvene the next legislative day at 1 p.m.

Why this matters: HB55 would change how Montana solicits and evaluates bids for new generation, adding an independent evaluator and new public input structures that supporters say will protect ratepayers and streamline procurement; HJ1 presses Congress on long-standing funding disparities on reservations; HB58 addresses ongoing environmental and public-health liabilities at legacy mine and asbestos sites. Several bills are technical cleanups requested by agencies, but together the package touches education funding formulas, environmental programs, utility regulation, public safety standards, and criminal justice data — all areas that affect state budgets and local services.