# Montana HB 736: Provide nutrient pollutant loading offsets

Montana HB 736, Provide nutrient pollutant loading offsets, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Steve Fitzpatrick (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-13 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB736-2025
- 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 736
- State: Montana
- Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025)
- Title: Provide nutrient pollutant loading offsets
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-02-25
- Last action: 2025-05-13, Chapter Number Assigned
- Sponsor: Steve Fitzpatrick (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Environmental Protection, Water, Rule Making
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 6 (375 yes, 122 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 2

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Nutrient offsets for permit holders: benefit, low. The law lets point-source permit holders use nutrient offsets or trading credits to meet permit limits and waste load allocations. Offsets count only when total nutrients drop within the same USGS 12‑digit watershed subbasin. An immediately adjacent subbasin can count when the project is very close…
- Standard methods to measure nutrient cuts: benefit, low. DEQ sets statewide methods to count nutrient cuts from nonpoint projects. Methods use simple units like feet of fenced streambank, acres of new riparian plants, acres of wetlands in irrigation return areas, and the number and size of septic systems removed. Applicants may propose other science-base…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Steve Fitzpatrick (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-18 | House | Do Concur | pass | 69 | 30 |   |
| 2025-04-17 | House | Do Concur | pass | 59 | 41 |   |
| 2025-04-12 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 45 | 5 |   |
| 2025-04-11 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 38 | 12 |   |
| 2025-03-07 | House | Do Pass | pass | 82 | 17 |   |
| 2025-03-05 | House | Do Pass | pass | 82 | 17 |   |

## Actions (30)

- 2025-05-13: Chapter Number Assigned (House)
- 2025-05-08: Signed by Governor (House)
- 2025-05-01: Transmitted to Governor (House)
- 2025-05-01: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2025-04-29: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2025-04-21: Returned from Enrolling (House)
- 2025-04-18: Sent to Enrolling (House)
- 2025-04-18: 3rd Reading Senate Amendments (House)
- 2025-04-17: 2nd Reading Senate Amendments (House)
- 2025-04-12: Returned to House with Amendments (Senate)
- 2025-04-12: 3rd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-04-11: 2nd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-04-08: Committee Report (Senate)
- 2025-04-07: Committee Executive Action (Senate)
- 2025-03-27: Hearing (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: 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)
- 2025-03-03: Committee Report (House)
- 2025-03-03: Fiscal Note Printed (House)
- 2025-03-03: Fiscal Note Unsigned (House)
- 2025-03-03: Fiscal Note Received (House)
- 2025-03-03: Committee Executive Action (House)
- 2025-02-27: Hearing (House)
- 2025-02-25: 1st Reading (House)
- 2025-02-25: Referred to Committee (House)
- 2025-02-25: Fiscal Note Requested (House)
- 2025-02-25: Introduced (House)

## Bill text

- Enrolled, 2025-04-21: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=f82c0d10-337b-4a52-8345-8f5445d340bc)
- As Amended (Version 2), 2025-04-08: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=da61f366-427f-4e2f-9dd3-c687d383f17c)
- Introduced, 2025-02-25: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=53210e0d-8420-4b1e-bf99-5f91ec51d9ef)

## 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=f82c0d10-337b-4a52-8345-8f5445d340bc)
- [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=da61f366-427f-4e2f-9dd3-c687d383f17c)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=53210e0d-8420-4b1e-bf99-5f91ec51d9ef)

## 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-HB736-2025 (as of 2026-10-12).