# Montana HB 324: Revise voluntary payment laws to include all claims

Montana HB 324, Revise voluntary payment laws to include all claims, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Steve Fitzpatrick (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-05 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB324-2025
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Montana HB 324
- State: Montana
- Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025)
- Title: Revise voluntary payment laws to include all claims
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-01-28
- Last action: 2025-05-05, Chapter Number Assigned
- Sponsor: Steve Fitzpatrick (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Financial Institutions, Civil Procedure, Liability, Remedies, Torts
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (291 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Partial payments count toward judgments: mixed, medium. After a court enters a damages judgment, any voluntary partial payments made before that date are credited and deducted from the judgment. If those payments add up to more than the final judgment, the payer cannot get the extra money back. The law applies to claims where the cause of action arises…
- Voluntary payments protected in claims: mixed, low. Voluntary payments in a liability claim do not count as admitting fault. Partial payments do not waive the claimant’s rights and do not lower the damages they can plead or prove. These protections do not apply to certain insurance unfair-practice suits, attorney-fee fights in contract cases (includ…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Steve Fitzpatrick (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Bruce "Butch" Gillespie (Republican), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-08 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 48 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-07 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 49 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-14 | House | Do Pass | pass | 94 | 0 |   |
| 2025-02-13 | House | Do Pass | pass | 100 | 0 |   |

## Actions (31)

- 2025-05-05: Chapter Number Assigned (House)
- 2025-05-01: Signed by Governor (House)
- 2025-04-22: Transmitted to Governor (House)
- 2025-04-21: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2025-04-18: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2025-04-10: Returned from Enrolling (House)
- 2025-04-08: Sent to Enrolling (House)
- 2025-04-08: 3rd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-04-07: 2nd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-03-20: Committee Report (Senate)
- 2025-03-20: Committee Executive Action (Senate)
- 2025-03-15: Hearing (Senate)
- 2025-03-06: Hearing (Senate)
- 2025-03-03: Hearing Canceled (Senate)
- 2025-02-27: Hearing (Senate)
- 2025-02-21: Referred to Committee (Senate)
- 2025-02-20: 1st Reading (Senate)
- 2025-02-14: Transmitted to Senate (House)
- 2025-02-14: 3rd Reading (House)
- 2025-02-13: 2nd Reading (House)
- 2025-02-05: Committee Report (House)
- 2025-02-05: Committee Executive Action (House)
- 2025-02-05: Committee Executive Action (House)
- 2025-02-04: Fiscal Note Printed (House)
- 2025-02-03: Fiscal Note Unsigned (House)
- 2025-02-03: Fiscal Note Received (House)
- 2025-01-29: Hearing (House)
- 2025-01-28: 1st Reading (House)
- 2025-01-28: Referred to Committee (House)
- 2025-01-28: Fiscal Note Requested (House)
- 2025-01-28: Introduced (House)

## Bill text

- Enrolled, 2025-04-15: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=e74be423-3e4a-41f0-8286-e75d660bbdd9)
- As Amended (Version 2), 2025-02-06: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=43fbc7ee-521b-43ec-9358-7fe3212c6e2a)
- Introduced, 2025-01-28: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=c88320a1-3693-4642-b739-02a34ac590d3)

## Related bills

- SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law (signed)
- HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit (vetoed)
- HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws (vetoed)
- SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act (vetoed)
- SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program (vetoed)
- SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer (vetoed)

## Sources
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=e74be423-3e4a-41f0-8286-e75d660bbdd9)
- [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=43fbc7ee-521b-43ec-9358-7fe3212c6e2a)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=c88320a1-3693-4642-b739-02a34ac590d3)

## Related
- [SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB437-2025)
- [HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB831-2025)
- [HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB628-2025)
- [SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB410-2025)
- [SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB424-2025)
- [SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB422-2025)
- [Montana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana/bills)
- [Montana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB324-2025 (as of 2026-10-12).