# Montana SB 1: Revise definition of "blighted area"

Montana SB 1, Revise definition of "blighted area", is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) Senate bill sponsored by Greg Hertz (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-04-03 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB1-2025
- As of: 2026-10-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Montana SB 1
- State: Montana
- Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025)
- Title: Revise definition of "blighted area"
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2024-12-18
- Last action: 2025-04-03, Chapter Number Assigned
- Sponsor: Greg Hertz (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Local Finance, Local Government, Taxation--Property, Taxation, Taxation--Property
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 4 (298 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Tax-increment financing for blighted areas: benefit, medium. The law directs tax‑increment financing to help redevelop blighted areas. Local governments can use future growth in property taxes from these areas to pay for approved projects. This supports planning and financing in places that meet the blight rules.
- Stricter rules for taking property: benefit, low. The law tightens when cities can take property for urban renewal. Condemnation is a public use only if the area has dangerous buildings, tax or special‑assessment debt higher than the property’s value, or too many vacant buildings. Cities cannot use eminent domain just to raise tax revenue.
- Clearer test to label areas blighted: mixed, low. The law changes what counts as a blighted area. An area qualifies when at least three problems exist, such as dangerous buildings, major disrepair, broken streets or sidewalks, weak or missing utilities, heavy tax debt above property value, many empty buildings, or sites needing DEQ or EPA cleanup.…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Greg Hertz (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Larry Brewster (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-03-18 | House | Do Concur | pass | 98 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-17 | House | Do Concur | pass | 100 | 0 |   |
| 2025-01-28 | Senate | Do Pass | pass | 50 | 0 |   |
| 2025-01-27 | Senate | Do Pass | pass | 50 | 0 |   |

## Actions (24)

- 2025-04-03: Chapter Number Assigned (Senate)
- 2025-04-03: Signed by Governor (Senate)
- 2025-03-27: Transmitted to Governor (Senate)
- 2025-03-26: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2025-03-24: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2025-03-19: Returned from Enrolling (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: Sent to Enrolling (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: Returned to Senate (House)
- 2025-03-18: 3rd Reading (House)
- 2025-03-17: 2nd Reading (House)
- 2025-02-12: Committee Report (House)
- 2025-02-12: Committee Executive Action (House)
- 2025-01-31: Hearing (House)
- 2025-01-29: 1st Reading (House)
- 2025-01-29: Referred to Committee (House)
- 2025-01-28: Transmitted to House (Senate)
- 2025-01-28: 3rd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-01-27: 2nd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-01-24: Committee Report (Senate)
- 2025-01-23: Committee Executive Action (Senate)
- 2025-01-08: Hearing (Senate)
- 2025-01-07: Referred to Committee (Senate)
- 2025-01-06: 1st Reading (Senate)
- 2024-12-18: Introduced (Senate)

## Bill text

- As Amended (Version 3), 2025-03-19: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=00cebd4f-ca98-4650-a860-6b1b9264830b)
- Enrolled, 2025-03-19: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=63e25f23-3429-4755-8e7b-ea45f2138cb9)
- As Amended (Version 2), 2025-01-24: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=9b0362f9-1769-4758-ae01-1eb15e52d797)
- Introduced, 2024-11-26: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=eec82a9e-c50c-410a-bad6-54a5bc359351)

## 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
- [As Amended (Version 3) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=00cebd4f-ca98-4650-a860-6b1b9264830b)
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=63e25f23-3429-4755-8e7b-ea45f2138cb9)
- [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=9b0362f9-1769-4758-ae01-1eb15e52d797)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=eec82a9e-c50c-410a-bad6-54a5bc359351)

## 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-SB1-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).