MontanaHB 12669th Legislature, Regular Session (2025)House

Revise legislative oversight of administrative rules and encourage public comment

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Email comments and free rule documents

Agencies must accept public comments by email. They must publish the email address for comments. Email comments are kept as part of the official record. If you ask for documents, the agency must email them and cannot charge a fee.

Cost impact shown in rule notices

If a proposed rule would change fees, costs, or benefits, the notice must estimate total dollars and how many people are affected, if known. This helps the public see money impacts before a rule is adopted.

Lawmakers get early say on rules

Before drafting rules to implement a new law, agencies must contact the bill’s primary sponsor to get comments and share the timeline. At least 10 days before publishing a proposal, the agency must try to reach the sponsor using contact info on file and state in the notice when and how it did so. If these steps are missed, the proposal filing is ineffective. Agencies must send the notice to the rule review committee the day it is filed and send the published notice to the sponsor within 3 days. If the agency disagrees with the sponsor’s comments, it must publish the unredacted comments and explain why, unless the sponsor waives this.

More voice at rule hearings

Proposal notices must let people request a presentation and ask questions if there is a hearing. At the start of the hearing, the presider reads the review committee notice. People can add their names to the interested-person list. Before adopting a rule, the agency must answer the questions or comments raised at the hearing.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

David Bedey
Republican • House

Cosponsors

John Fuller
Republican • Senate

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 296 • No: 1

Senate vote • 4/9/2025

Do Concur

Yes: 48 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/8/2025

Do Concur

Yes: 48 • No: 1

House vote • 1/29/2025

Do Pass

Yes: 100 • No: 0

House vote • 1/28/2025