1999 State Legislative Report - Montana

PO Box 6322, Helena, Montana Phone: 406-443-5694

The Montana Legislature concluded the 1999 session on April 24. Overall the legislature introduced 1212 bills and passed 736 measures. Heading the list of contentious issues were issues involving business tax reform, prison funding, and numerous fish and game related bills. The bills influencing the Montana Land Title industry were not headline news, but the association was very active on dozens of measures, including our role in leading the opposition to House Bill 166 that called for all Warrants of Distraint issued by the Department of Revenue to be filed in the First Judicial District. This bill failed.

On the Senate Side the Montana Land Title Association worked hard on Senate Bill 162, a bill introduced by the Bankers Association to expand the banking activities of state chartered banks and to allow them to sell all types of insurance products. The association successfully amended Senate Bill 162 to exempt title insurance from the list of insurance products that state chartered banks can sell to consumers. This amendment was offered and adopted by the Senate Business Committee and maintained in the bill until signed into law by the Governor.

The MLTA was involved in several other bills during the session that have been listed below in this final legislative report.

HOUSE BILLS
Position
STATUS
HB 47: Rep. Shiell Anderson
TITLE: Uniform statue of limitations insurance action
Monitor
Signed by Governor

HB 95: Rep. Bob StorySigned by
TITLE: Revise water use act Monitor
Signed by Governor

HB 96: Rep. Larry Grinde
TITLE: Reciprocal access to isolated trust lands
Monitor
Signed by Governor
HB 100: Rep. Bruce Simon
TITLE: Generally Revise Insurance Laws Monitor/Support
Signed by Governor

HB 127: Rep. Royal Johnson
TITLE: Revise child support enforcement laws Monitor
Transmitted to Governor

** HB 166: Rep. Kasten
TITLE: Revise DOR collections/Warrant of Distraint filings Opposed
Tabled House Tax-Failed in Tax Comm twice & House Floor

HB 188: Rep. Carly Tuss
TITLE: Provide electronic commerce
Monitor Signed by Governor

HB 205: Rep. Bill Tash
TITLE: Ditch access easements Monitor
Signed by Governor
HB 214: Rep. Dan McGee
TITLE: Clarify statute of limitations surveying real prop Monitor
Signed by Governor

HB 300: Rep. Carl Ohs
TITLE: Revise subdivision and platting act Monitor
Signed by Governor

** HB 340: Rep. Shiell Anderson
TITLE: Require preservation of monuments for land survey Support
Passed House Tabled in Senate
HB 352: Rep. Matt Brainard
TITLE: Revise access to state lands Support
Signed by Governor

HB 507: Rep. Bob Lawson
TITLE: Eliminate continuing education requirement insurance producers Monitor

Tabled House Business

HB 560: Rep. Marian Hanson
TITLE: Revise definition of County Road Support Signed by Governor
HB 578: Rep. Shiell Anderson
TITLE: Revise public records law Monitor
Signed by Governor

SENATE BILLS
Position
STATUS

SB: 97: Senator Spook Stang
TITLE: Revise local planning & subdivision review Monitor Tabled House Business
SB 103: Senator Eve Franklin
TITLE: Revise insurance information & privacy act Monitor Signed by Governor
SB 107: Senator Dale Mahlum
TITLE: Establish standards for investments by insurers Monitor Signed by Governor
SB 132: Senator John Hertel
TITLE: Generally revise insurance Monitor
Signed by Governor

** SB 162: Senator Bill Crismore
TITLE: Expand permissible banking
Support as amended by MLTA with MLTA amendments Signed by Governor
SB 189: Senator Dale Berry
TITLE: Revise real estate saleperson Monitor Signed by Governor

SB 210: Senator J.D. Lynch
TITLE: Home inspection trade practices act
Monitor Signed by Governor

SB 276: Senator Dale Berry
TITLE: Revise state land easement Monitor Signed by Governor
SB 462: Senator Lorents Grosfield
TITLE: Environmental protection easement Monitor

Transmitted to Governor

**SB 476: Senator Al Bishop
TITLE: Now: Clerk and Record may file construction liens electronically Support House amendments Signed Governor after bill greatly altered to make it optional for Clerks to file electronically - bill took out Sec. Of State