Senate committee hears bill to extend vehicle titling and temporary registration window to 60 days

Senate Bill 28, sponsored by Senator Becky Beard, received a first hearing before the Montana Senate Highways and Transportation Committee on Oct. 12, 2025. The bill would extend both the grace period for vehicle titling and the expiration of temporary registration permits (TRPs) from 40 days to 60 days and, as presented, would take effect Oct. 1.

The change, Beard said, was requested by a local government in Senate District 38 to give counties more time to confirm title work from dealerships and to provide customers 60-day stickers rather than the current 40-day stickers. "Our goal is to make it so that our citizens don't have to come repeatedly to our office for something that we don't even have in our position to help them with," said Amy Ree, speaking for the Montana County Treasurer's Association.

Nut graf: Supporters, led by county treasurers, told the committee the extra calendar time would reduce repeated trips and hardship for residents—especially low-income households with only one vehicle—while Motor Vehicle Division staff said the state's new credentialing and registration system (CARS) is on track and could accommodate the change with programming and maintenance work.

County treasurer testimony and reasons for the bill County treasurers and their representatives said the current timing leaves too little workable time for customers after dealerships submit paperwork. "Currently, our dealerships have 30 days to get the paperwork to our office," said Amy Ree, "and once the paperwork is to our office, we mail our citizens letters ... but that only leaves them 10 [days]." Terry Kunz, who identified himself as Jefferson County Treasurer and president of the Montana County Treasurer's Association, said mailing and weekend delays can push customers past the 40-day window and force them to pay state late fees.

Officials described recurring customer burdens: longer wait times at county offices during peak season, customers taking time off work, and repeated visits when dealerships or title paperwork are delayed. "By allowing them a little bit of extra time, it also helps them continue to work," Ree said.

Motor Vehicle Division and CARS rollout Laurie Bakri, who identified herself as the Motor Vehicle Division administrator, provided informational remarks about CARS, the state's credentialing and registration system. Bakri said the driver's-license portion rolled out successfully and that electronic lien titling (ELT) and other e-services should reduce paperwork delays. She said the CARS development deadline is Feb. 3, and that the October 1 effective date for SB28 appears achievable from a programming standpoint.

Bakri also described county training for CARS: the rollout includes multiple training modules and county staff participation. She noted prior software rollout problems with the older system (Merlin) and said counties have been more involved in testing CARS to avoid the same issues.

Questions, concerns and follow-ups Committee members pressed several practical questions. Senator Olson asked why dealers are sometimes selling vehicles without presenting titles at the point of sale and whether a statutory requirement that dealers have titles before sale would be a better fix than extending the TRP window. Bakri said she would follow up with more detail on that process. "I would like to get back to you on that question," she said.

Senators also asked whether the bill would impose costs to implement in CARS. Bakri said there would likely be a maintenance cost after rollout and that the committee could request a fiscal note. At least one senator suggested requesting a fiscal note to determine financial impact before a final recommendation.

Procedural outcome Sponsor Senator Becky Beard closed the hearing by requesting a do-pass recommendation. The committee did not record a formal vote during the hearing. The sponsor said she was asking for a "do pass," but no tally or recorded outcome appears in the hearing transcript.

Ending: next steps Committee members discussed arranging a more detailed presentation about the CARS rollout for the committee and the possibility of requesting a fiscal note on SB28. No formal action was taken on the bill at the hearing.