# Montana SB 301: Generally revise utility lines and facilities laws Montana SB 301, Generally revise utility lines and facilities laws, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) Senate bill sponsored by Daniel Zolnikov (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-16 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB301-2025 - 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 301 - State: Montana - Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) - Title: Generally revise utility lines and facilities laws - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2025-02-11 - Last action: 2025-05-16, Chapter Number Assigned - Sponsor: Daniel Zolnikov (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Energy, Rule Making, Utilities - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 8 (486 yes, 7 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 2 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Project approval does not guarantee customer charges: benefit, low. Getting a certificate from the commission does not automatically let a utility recover project costs from customers. The commission decides cost recovery later in separate rate cases. The law also keeps all existing environmental and siting rules in Title 75, chapter 20 in place. - Faster approvals for high-voltage power lines: mixed, medium. The Public Service Commission can approve a certificate before building transmission lines over 69 kilovolts. The commission must decide within 300 days. It must weigh reliability, customer access to generation or storage, costs and benefits, and use of advanced technology. When a utility asks for… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Daniel Zolnikov (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Gary Parry (Republican), House ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-18 | Senate | Do Pass | pass | 50 | 0 | | | 2025-04-17 | Senate | Do Pass | pass | 49 | 0 | | | 2025-04-15 | House | Do Concur | pass | 97 | 0 | | | 2025-04-14 | House | Do Concur | pass | 90 | 7 | | | 2025-03-27 | Senate | Do Pass | pass | 50 | 0 | | | 2025-03-26 | Senate | AMD-SB0301.003.001 Zolnikov D/PASS | pass | 50 | 0 | | | 2025-03-26 | Senate | Do Pass As Amended | pass | 50 | 0 | | | 2025-03-03 | Senate | Do Pass | pass | 50 | 0 | | ## Actions (37) - 2025-05-16: Chapter Number Assigned (Senate) - 2025-05-13: Signed by Governor (Senate) - 2025-05-05: Transmitted to Governor (Senate) - 2025-05-05: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2025-04-29: Signed by President (Senate) - 2025-04-24: Returned from Enrolling (Senate) - 2025-04-22: Sent to Enrolling (Senate) - 2025-04-18: 3rd Reading House Amendments (Senate) - 2025-04-17: 2nd Reading House Amendments (Senate) - 2025-04-15: Returned to Senate with Amendments (House) - 2025-04-15: 3rd Reading (House) - 2025-04-14: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-04-10: Committee Report (House) - 2025-04-09: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-04-02: Hearing (House) - 2025-03-28: 1st Reading (House) - 2025-03-28: Referred to Committee (House) - 2025-03-28: Transmitted to House (Senate) - 2025-03-27: 3rd Reading (Senate) - 2025-03-27: Fiscal Note Requested (Senate) - 2025-03-26: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-03-26: 2nd Reading Motion to Amend (Senate) - 2025-03-20: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-03-20: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-03-14: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-03-05: Fiscal Note Printed (Senate) - 2025-03-04: Fiscal Note Unsigned (Senate) - 2025-03-04: Fiscal Note Received (Senate) - 2025-03-03: Rereferred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-03-03: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-02-28: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-02-27: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-02-27: Fiscal Note Requested (Senate) - 2025-02-13: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-02-12: Referred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-02-12: 1st Reading (Senate) - 2025-02-11: Introduced (Senate) ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2025-04-22: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=08d8cc57-48b3-4344-a5b9-e4e4fd55221d) - As Amended (Version 5), 2025-04-10: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=165d8813-a514-47ab-a31e-cc49e941323a) - As Amended (Version 4), 2025-03-26: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=8cfa68f7-415f-437b-b778-35508b54366c) - As Amended (Version 3), 2025-03-20: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=37dfe432-7655-4d38-8271-2eecb24f18e8) - As Amended (Version 2), 2025-02-28: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=3aff5a45-54ee-4714-8d08-6ecf79c55f0a) - Introduced, 2025-02-11: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=5c6d698a-2e47-4695-9872-c44bcbf3ded2) ## 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=08d8cc57-48b3-4344-a5b9-e4e4fd55221d) - [As Amended (Version 5) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=165d8813-a514-47ab-a31e-cc49e941323a) - [As Amended (Version 4) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=8cfa68f7-415f-437b-b778-35508b54366c) - [As Amended (Version 3) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=37dfe432-7655-4d38-8271-2eecb24f18e8) - [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=3aff5a45-54ee-4714-8d08-6ecf79c55f0a) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=5c6d698a-2e47-4695-9872-c44bcbf3ded2) ## 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-SB301-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).