Governor’s office backs repeal of Montana’s federal‑mandate reporting requirement in HB 495

Representative Braxton Mitchell introduced House Bill 495, which would repeal Montana’s Federal Mandates Act reporting requirements and related statutory language that ask executive‑branch agencies to catalog federal mandates and estimate state costs. Lieutenant Governor Kristin Juras spoke for the governor's office and argued the existing reporting regime creates hundreds of staff hours to compile reports with little legislative payoff; she described alternative channels for federal pushback such as public comment in rulemaking and litigation (Lieutenant Governor Kristin Juras). The Department of Commerce offered similar testimony that the reporting process requires significant staff effort and is often not actionable.

Committee members probed whether to retain a narrower provision — enacted in 2021 — that allows the state to respond to certain executive actions. The lieutenant governor said the administration would be open to retaining that targeted tool. No opponents testified on the record during the hearing; several committee members suggested preserving select sections instead of wholesale repeal.

Quote: "What it does do is require hundreds of hours of staff time every year to compile these reports…We've had some wins, but there are other tools to stop federal mandates." — Lieutenant Governor Kristin Juras

What happens next: sponsor closed in support of repeal and suggested targeted retention of specific emergency authorities; no committee vote was recorded during the hearing.