The Montana Senate Local Government Committee on Oct. 12 concurred in six House bills on a largely uncontested agenda, approving an amendment that raises portions of county recording fees earmarked for local land information and the Montana Geospatial Information account.

The committee, chaired by Chairman Mandeville, acted on House Bill 180, House Bill 192 (as amended), House Bill 233, House Bill 520, House Bill 430 and House Bill 443. Most measures drew brief discussion and passed by voice vote, with recorded proxy ayes for several absent senators.

Why it matters: The bills are largely part of red‑tape cleanup and technical clarifications that change how local governments manage certain property‑related processes and how a portion of recording fees is allocated. The amendment to HB 192 alters the distribution and rounding rules for small fee slices that support county land information programs and the state geospatial account.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 180 (Springer) — Revises sanitation and subdivision laws related to mixing zones. Motion: do concur. Outcome: concurred; carried to the Senate floor by a committee member. Proxies recorded during the voice vote include Senator Ellsworth (aye by proxy), Senator Fern (aye by proxy) and Senator Hertz (aye by proxy).

- House Bill 192 (Darling) — Revises county clerk and recorder fee allocations for recording documents. The committee approved Amendment 192.001. The amendment increases certain fee slices from $0.50 to $0.75 and from $1.50 to $2.25 and adds a rounding rule. Motion: move do concur as amended. Outcome: concurred as amended; Vice Chair Beard will carry the bill on the floor. Recorded proxies during the vote include Senator Ellsworth (aye by proxy) and Senator Fern (aye by proxy).

- House Bill 233 (Griffith) — Provides for transfer of title of open space and final plats to homeowners associations. Motion: do concur. Outcome: concurred; a committee member volunteered to carry the bill. Proxy recorded: Senator Ellsworth (aye by proxy).

- House Bill 520 (Brewster) — Clarifies that local prohibitions on conveying family‑transfer parcels do not apply to conveyances involving lenders. Motion: do concur. Outcome: concurred; committee member volunteered to carry the bill. Proxy recorded: Senator Ellsworth (aye by proxy).

- House Bill 430 (Mitchell) — Repeals an obsolete statute that provides a petition process for public ownership of scales; sponsor described it as part of red‑tape cleanup and noted counties retain authority under existing statute (7‑1‑2‑103) to own and operate scales. Motion: do concur. Outcome: concurred; Senator Fern will carry the bill. Proxy recorded: Senator Bogner (aye by proxy).

- House Bill 443 (Mitchell) — Repeals outdated county licensing provisions for transient retail merchants, with an amendment preserved to allow counties to regulate or license such merchants. Motion: do concur. Outcome: concurred; Senator Fern will carry the bill. Proxy recorded: Senator Bogner (aye by proxy).

What committee members said

On HB 192, committee staff member Kurzowski explained the amendment’s mechanics: “this amendment … moved from 50¢ to 75¢. And then the fee that is transmitted to the Department of Revenue for the Montana Geospatial Information account has been moved from $1.50 to $2.25. … The resulting figure must be rounded down to the nearest quarter dollar amount rather than the nearest total dollar amount,” she told the committee.

Lieutenant Governor Kristin Juras, speaking in support of HB 430 and similar measures, described the bills as part of a broader effort to remove unused statutes: “This is part of our red tape cleanup,” she said, noting the state code has grown from a single volume to many and that the changes remove provisions no longer used in practice.

Process and next steps

All six bills were carried out of committee to the Senate floor for consideration by designated senators. Where proxies were recorded, the committee relied on voice votes and listed proxy ayes as noted in the record. No recorded roll‑call tallies were taken in committee for these items during the hearing.

Proponents, opponents and informational witnesses were limited or absent for several bills; Lieutenant Governor Juras testified as a proponent for the red‑tape items and Eric Copeland, bureau chief, appeared as an informational witness during the HB 430 hearing. Sponsors and committee members said they expect the measures to receive further floor consideration in the Senate.