# Montana HB 680: Generally revise trade and commerce laws Montana HB 680, Generally revise trade and commerce laws, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Ken Walsh (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-19 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB680-2025 - 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 680 - State: Montana - Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) - Title: Generally revise trade and commerce laws - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-02-24 - Last action: 2025-05-19, Chapter Number Assigned - Sponsor: Ken Walsh (Republican) - Cosponsors: 2 - Subjects: Economic Development, Trade Regulations and Competition, Public Contracts - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 4 (277 yes, 17 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Worker pay rules and volunteer coverage: benefit, low. Workers on commission contracts must be paid prevailing wages. If you volunteer for the commission, you get workers’ compensation coverage while helping. Volunteers are not salaried employees, but the commission may reimburse out-of-pocket costs. - Regular financial reports to state leaders: benefit, low. Before each regular legislative session, the commission reports its last two years of finances to the governor and legislature. The report includes any property acquisitions and sales. This improves oversight and transparency. - Public input on commission property deals: benefit, low. Before buying or selling property, the commission must give public notice and a chance for a local hearing. It must set rules for acquisitions and sales, weighing history, economic stability, preservation covenants, and local impacts. A joint subcommittee reviews sales of former Bovey personal prop… - Longer business leases on historic sites: benefit, low. The commission can sign commercial leases for up to 99 years when a private group invests substantial capital in commission property. The prior 20-year limit does not apply in these cases. This helps investors and businesses plan for the long term. - Direct deals for commission contracts: mixed, low. The commission can hire vendors by direct negotiation. Contracts under this section do not follow state procurement laws. This can speed awards for some businesses but reduces standard competitive bidding protections. - Oversight and faster fixes over $300K: mixed, low. The commission must get legislative consent to build a new building costing more than $300,000. Projects must follow historic and state guidelines, and funding goes directly to the commission. In urgent cases, the commission can spend over $300,000 to preserve or maintain existing structures withou… - Where profits and sale money go: mixed, low. Contracts must direct part of any profit to restore the property and to pay administrative costs. Any remaining profit goes to the state general fund. The commission may seek funds from outside sources, including the federal government. It can also create trust funds with the board of investments;… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Ken Walsh (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Brad Barker (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Tony Tezak (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-28 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 45 | 4 | | | 2025-04-25 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 42 | 6 | | | 2025-03-07 | House | Do Pass | pass | 96 | 3 | | | 2025-03-05 | House | Do Pass | pass | 94 | 4 | | ## Actions (29) - 2025-05-19: Chapter Number Assigned (House) - 2025-05-13: Signed by Governor (House) - 2025-05-07: Transmitted to Governor (House) - 2025-05-06: Signed by President (Senate) - 2025-05-02: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2025-04-29: Returned from Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-29: Sent to Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-29: Returned to House (Senate) - 2025-04-28: 3rd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-25: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-24: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-04-23: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-04-02: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-04-01: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-03-17: Referred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-03-14: 1st Reading (Senate) - 2025-03-07: Transmitted to Senate (House) - 2025-03-07: 3rd Reading (House) - 2025-03-05: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-02-27: Committee Report (House) - 2025-02-27: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-02-27: Fiscal Note Printed (House) - 2025-02-27: Fiscal Note Signed (House) - 2025-02-26: Hearing (House) - 2025-02-26: Fiscal Note Received (House) - 2025-02-24: 1st Reading (House) - 2025-02-24: Referred to Committee (House) - 2025-02-24: Fiscal Note Requested (House) - 2025-02-24: Introduced (House) ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2025-04-29: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=024a2b42-dfb2-4fdc-80e3-f9e7b30c2a82) - Introduced, 2025-02-24: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=82479319-337c-4f3c-b856-b9a0968ae05a) ## 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=024a2b42-dfb2-4fdc-80e3-f9e7b30c2a82) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=82479319-337c-4f3c-b856-b9a0968ae05a) ## 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-HB680-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).