# Montana HB 616: Allow data modeling for mine bond release

Montana HB 616, Allow data modeling for mine bond release, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Steve Gist (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-05 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB616-2025
- As of: 2026-10-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Montana HB 616
- State: Montana
- Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025)
- Title: Allow data modeling for mine bond release
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-02-20
- Last action: 2025-05-05, Chapter Number Assigned
- Sponsor: Steve Gist (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Environmental Protection, Mining and Minerals, Rule Making
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (273 yes, 25 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Modeling can support mine bond release: benefit, low. Mine permittees can include predictive modeling with monitoring data when applying to release a performance bond. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) must find the methods acceptable. Modeling can help estimate soil replacement costs, silt-dam needs, and whether areas add sediment. Modeli…
- Law void if federal government disapproves: mixed, low. If the U.S. Secretary of the Interior disapproves this law under 30 CFR 732, the law becomes void. The Department of Environmental Quality must notify the code commissioner within 15 days of that disapproval.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Steve Gist (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Daniel Zolnikov (Republican), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-15 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 49 | 1 |   |
| 2025-04-14 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 50 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-07 | House | Vote | pass | 90 | 9 |   |
| 2025-03-06 | House | Do Pass | pass | 84 | 15 |   |

## Actions (23)

- 2025-05-05: Chapter Number Assigned (House)
- 2025-05-01: Signed by Governor (House)
- 2025-04-24: Transmitted to Governor (House)
- 2025-04-24: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2025-04-23: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2025-04-18: Returned from Enrolling (House)
- 2025-04-15: Sent to Enrolling (House)
- 2025-04-15: 3rd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-04-14: 2nd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-04-12: Committee Report (Senate)
- 2025-04-11: Committee Executive Action (Senate)
- 2025-03-21: Hearing (Senate)
- 2025-03-14: Referred to Committee (Senate)
- 2025-03-14: 1st Reading (Senate)
- 2025-03-07: Transmitted to Senate (House)
- 2025-03-07: 3rd Reading (House)
- 2025-03-06: 2nd Reading (House)
- 2025-03-01: Committee Report (House)
- 2025-02-28: Committee Executive Action (House)
- 2025-02-24: Hearing (House)
- 2025-02-21: 1st Reading (House)
- 2025-02-21: Referred to Committee (House)
- 2025-02-20: Introduced (House)

## Bill text

- Enrolled, 2025-04-16: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=84ac1a42-a8d8-433f-928c-0d9b2a68cee0)
- Introduced, 2025-02-20: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=e0563f7c-ae61-439a-b081-75e63dd7363b)

## 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=84ac1a42-a8d8-433f-928c-0d9b2a68cee0)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=e0563f7c-ae61-439a-b081-75e63dd7363b)

## 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-HB616-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).