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Senate concurs with House amendments to 'Stop Squatters' bill after contested debate
Summary
The Montana Senate on March 31 concurred in House amendments to Senate Bill 101, known in debate as the "Stop Squatters Act," after objections from some senators who said the changes removed a safety protection for lawful occupants.
Senators on the Montana Senate on March 31 voted to concur in House amendments to Senate Bill 101, the "Stop Squatters Act," advancing the measure to the next stage after debate over protections for lawful occupants.
Senator Greg Beard, sponsor of the bill in the Senate floor proceedings, told the chamber the House amendment included language on indemnification for law enforcement and other edits to the bill as it moved through the House. Senator Alan Olsen objected to the amendments on the floor, saying the House version had removed a safety protection that gave a cause of action for unlawful removal and that the measure blurred trespass and landlord-tenant law while involving police in disputes that previously were civil matters.
Beard moved that the committee recommend concurrence in the House amendments. After a recorded vote the presiding clerk announced 37 senators voted yes and 13 voted no; the motion carried and the Senate concurred in the House amendments to SB 101.
Supporters framed the bill as creating an offense for unlawful squatting, a process for removal of a person from property, indemnity for good-faith conduct by law enforcement, and related procedural changes; the bill as introduced amends sections 1–4 of the underlying statutory provisions. Opponents raised concerns that the House amendments removed an explicit cause of action for victims of unlawful removal and said the measure risked substituting criminal or law-enforcement remedies for established civil landlord-tenant procedures.
The Senate record shows the motion to concur was debated on the floor and the objections were recorded before the vote. The bill will proceed pursuant to the Legislature’s process after the concurrence vote.
Support and opposition were recorded on the floor; no further amendments were adopted on the Senate floor during the March 31 session.
Votes at the March 31 session advanced other measures; committee reports filed later that day list SB 101 among bills reported out on second reading.
