Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Committee tables bill to raise food‑service and pool licensing fees after lengthy debate
Summary
Lawmakers heard hours of testimony from public‑health officials, restaurant groups and local officials on House Bill 853, which would raise and reclassify license fees for food establishments, pools, mobile vendors and campgrounds; the committee ultimately voted to table the bill after objections on timing, mobile‑vendor categories and process.
Representative (sponsor) opened House Bill 853, describing the proposal as an overdue "right‑sizing" of license fees for food establishments, public accommodations, trailer courts, campgrounds, pools and spas. The sponsor said fee schedules had not been updated in roughly 15 years and that stakeholders negotiated category changes, adding a "medium" food‑establishment tier and a new mobile‑food category.
Brad Griffin, executive director of the Montana Restaurant Association, and Gina Miller for the Montana Environmental Health Association described months of stakeholder work; Griffin said the proposal was built around collaboration and encouraged a due pass. "We went back and…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
