# Montana HB 60: Generally revise state auditor laws Montana HB 60, Generally revise state auditor laws, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Ed Buttrey (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-02-28 (Chapter Number Assigned); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB60-2025 - 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 60 - State: Montana - Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) - Title: Generally revise state auditor laws - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2024-12-18 - Last action: 2025-02-28, Chapter Number Assigned - Sponsor: Ed Buttrey (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: State Government - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 4 (283 yes, 15 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 21 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - One-time $40M for school health trust: benefit, medium. If a district self‑funded health insurance trust is certified by June 30, 2026 for initial operation on July 1, 2026, the state distributes $40,000,000 to it on July 1, 2026 or upon qualification. The money capitalizes an operating reserve to help keep members’ health insurance costs stable. If no… - Protections on out‑of‑state group plans: benefit, medium. Group certificates delivered in Montana for group policies issued outside Montana but covering Montana residents must be filed with the state insurance commissioner. Those certificates must meet Montana’s minimum policy rules when Montana law controls. This gives Montana residents more consistent p… - Stronger Medigap protections for seniors: benefit, medium. Beginning Oct 1, 2025, if you pay your Medigap renewal premium on time or within 31 days, the insurer generally cannot refuse renewal unless it stops renewing all similar policies and offers a justified replacement. Insurers must file outlines of coverage 60 days before giving them to residents. Th… - Grace periods and clear renewal notices: benefit, low. Insurers must give a grace period after the first premium: 7 days for weekly, 10 days for monthly, and 31 days for all other policies. Policies must allow written claim notice within 6 months or as soon as reasonably possible; notice to the insurer or its authorized agent counts. If a policy lets t… - More people can use viatical settlements: benefit, low. The law broadens who counts as a “viator” under viatical settlement rules. It is not limited only to owners or certain certificate holders unless a section specifically says so. This can let more policyholders access viatical settlement options. - Clearer disability insurance cost notices: benefit, low. At application, individual and group disability outlines must clearly say you may owe billed charges for out‑of‑network care and list any preauthorization steps. Before issuing a policy, insurers must give written materials that explain the policy’s cancer screening coverage. For group plans, an ou… - Some state jobs can work out‑of‑state: benefit, low. Certain state employees may work from outside Montana. This applies to staff doing out‑of‑state economic development whose duties require living out of state, and to actuaries (associates or fellows). The state budget office must approve the out‑of‑state worksite before work begins. - Exchange training rule for producers repealed: benefit, low. The law removes the state requirement that producers complete commissioner‑approved exchange training and certification before selling through an exchange. Producers can sell on an exchange without that specific state training. - Faster reporting when producers are fired: benefit, low. Insurers must tell the insurance commissioner within 30 days when they end an appointed producer. If the termination is for listed serious causes, they must notify immediately and share documents if asked. Good‑faith information is legally protected. This strengthens oversight of producer misconduc… - Simpler paperwork to form insurers: benefit, low. Incorporators no longer need a deed‑style acknowledgment when filing articles of incorporation for stock or mutual insurers. Required corporate details in the articles still apply. - Equal coverage for telehealth visits: mixed, medium. If your plan covers a service in person, it must cover the same service by telehealth on equal terms. Insurers cannot charge higher copays, coinsurance, or deductibles for telehealth or limit it by where you or your provider are located. Telehealth includes secure audio‑only and video. For certain… - Lower costs for breast exams: mixed, medium. Plans that cover screening and diagnostic breast exams cannot charge cost‑sharing for diagnostic or supplemental breast exams done by a preferred provider. For HSA‑qualified high‑deductible plans, this no‑cost rule applies only after you meet the HSA minimum deductible if needed to keep HSA eligibi… - New limits on claim audits and interest: mixed, medium. If an insurer limits how long providers can submit claims, it has the same time after payment to audit and seek reimbursement. If it does not limit submission time, it generally must request reimbursement within 12 months, with narrow exceptions. For provider errors (not fraud), the insurer has up… - New insurance rules for self‑funded MEWAs: mixed, medium. Beginning Oct 1, 2025, the law changes which insurance‑code provisions apply to self‑funded multiple employer welfare arrangements with active certificates. Several sections are added and one is removed, and parts 7 and 21 of chapter 22 now apply. This updates obligations for employers, plan sponso… - Broader securities exemptions, tighter investor suits: mixed, medium. The law expands exemptions to cover any security listed on an SEC‑registered exchange and removes a $50 fee and 20‑day notice for certain nonprofit offerings. The commissioner now has 90 days after a registration becomes effective to start a suspension or revocation based on known facts. For certai… - New domestic surplus lines insurer option: mixed, medium. An insurer with at least $15 million in capital and surplus may be designated a domestic surplus lines insurer with board and commissioner approval. Licensed surplus lines producers can place coverage with domestic surplus lines insurers and with foreign or alien unauthorized insurers, following st… - Fairer payouts for totaled vehicles: mixed, low. When repair costs exceed a vehicle’s worth, damages now use the car’s actual replacement value just before the loss. Any “book” value used must come from the latest national used‑car pricing source. Depending on the vehicle, this can raise or lower the amount paid in a claim. - New rules to sell travel insurance: mixed, low. Limited‑lines travel insurance producers must be licensed, and travel retailers must register. Travel retailers may operate via registration instead of a full producer license. Property and casualty producers may sell travel insurance without an insurer appointment. - When this law takes effect: mixed, low. Most of this law takes effect October 1, 2025. Sections 34 and 36 and this effective-dates section take effect on passage and approval. One subsection ends on June 1, 2029. The change that sets that end date takes effect October 1, 2025. - HIPAA‑covered insurers follow Montana privacy rule: mixed, low. Licensees covered by federal HIPAA are exempt from most state insurance privacy duties, but they must follow Montana statute 33‑19‑321. Business associates working with those licensees must also follow that Montana rule. This aligns with HIPAA while keeping a key Montana privacy requirement. - School health trust money deadline: mixed, low. The law sets a deadline for the school health trust reserve. If no district self-funded health insurance trust is approved by June 30, 2026, the state moves the remaining balance to the long-range building program. The money is then used for capital projects allowed under state law 17-7-209. This m… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Ed Buttrey (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Sara Novak (Democrat), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-02-15 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 39 | 9 | | | 2025-02-14 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 44 | 6 | | | 2025-01-15 | House | Do Pass | pass | 100 | 0 | | | 2025-01-14 | House | Do Pass | pass | 100 | 0 | | ## Actions (32) - 2025-02-28: Chapter Number Assigned (House) - 2025-02-27: Signed by Governor (House) - 2025-02-20: Transmitted to Governor (House) - 2025-02-20: Signed by President (Senate) - 2025-02-19: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2025-02-18: Returned from Enrolling (House) - 2025-02-15: Sent to Enrolling (House) - 2025-02-15: 3rd Reading (Senate) - 2025-02-14: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-01-31: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-01-31: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-01-24: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-01-24: Hearing Canceled (Senate) - 2025-01-17: Referred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-01-16: Revised Fiscal Note Printed (House) - 2025-01-16: Revised Fiscal Note Signed (House) - 2025-01-16: 1st Reading (Senate) - 2025-01-16: Transmitted to Senate (House) - 2025-01-15: Revised Fiscal Note Received (House) - 2025-01-15: 3rd Reading (House) - 2025-01-14: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-01-13: Revised Fiscal Note Requested (House) - 2025-01-10: Committee Report (House) - 2025-01-10: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-01-07: Fiscal Note Printed (House) - 2025-01-07: Fiscal Note Signed (House) - 2025-01-07: Fiscal Note Received (House) - 2025-01-06: Hearing (House) - 2025-01-06: 1st Reading (House) - 2024-12-20: Referred to Committee (House) - 2024-12-18: Fiscal Note Requested (House) - 2024-12-18: Introduced (House) ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2025-03-14: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=009869fb-bec7-4c16-9e48-a667c7beb646) - As Amended (Version 3), 2025-02-17: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=fe564169-9dd1-4dc0-aca8-5f33f156f113) - As Amended (Version 2), 2025-01-10: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=1fc3660a-1dac-452b-9745-d292d0bfd46b) - Introduced, 2024-12-11: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=14a1e291-624c-488e-888a-fc3c3c05c4ba) ## 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 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer (vetoed) - SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program (vetoed) ## Sources - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=009869fb-bec7-4c16-9e48-a667c7beb646) - [As Amended (Version 3) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=fe564169-9dd1-4dc0-aca8-5f33f156f113) - [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=1fc3660a-1dac-452b-9745-d292d0bfd46b) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=14a1e291-624c-488e-888a-fc3c3c05c4ba) ## 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 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB422-2025) - [SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB424-2025) - [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-HB60-2025 (as of 2026-10-12).