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Read. Follow. Verify.Montana SB 202 authorizes appointment of benefits custodians for minors and incompetent persons in workers' compensation cases
Last action · May 23, 2025: (S) Died in ProcessSponsor: Laura Smith
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What This Bill Proposed
Revise laws regarding receipt of workers' compensation benefits on behalf of others
The change establishes a formal mechanism for third-party custodians to manage and receive workers' compensation payments for minors and incapacitated individuals, altering who may legally collect and oversee these funds.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Minor children and incompetent persons
Their workers' compensation payments may now be received and managed by an appointed benefits custodian.
Insurers and employers
Written receipts from an appointed benefits custodian acquit them of further liability for the payment.
Key Facts
- A payment due to a child under 18 or an incompetent person may be made to a benefits custodian, parent, or appointed guardian.
- A written receipt from a benefits custodian acquits the employer, insurer, or department of further liability.
- A benefits custodian is defined as a person appointed by the workers' compensation judge to pursue benefits or receive payments for a minor or incompetent person.
- Claimants, insurers, or the uninsured employers' fund may petition the workers' compensation judge for the appointment of a benefits custodian.
Show all 6 facts
- Parties are not required to satisfy standard dispute resolution requirements before petitioning for a benefits custodian.
- The workers' compensation judge has the jurisdiction to appoint and terminate the appointment of a benefits custodian.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can be appointed as a benefits custodian?
Do parties need to go through dispute resolution before asking for a benefits custodian?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
19 actions- May 23, 2025Senate(S) Died in Process
- Mar 12, 2025Senate(S) Missed Deadline for General Bill Transmittal
- Mar 1, 2025SenateCommittee(S) Tabled in Committee
- Feb 24, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Printed
- Feb 24, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Unsigned
- Feb 21, 2025Senate(S) Hearing
Show 13 earlier actions
- Feb 20, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Received
- Feb 13, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Requested
- Feb 13, 2025SenateCommittee(S) Referred to Committee
- Jan 23, 2025Senate(S) 1st Reading
- Jan 22, 2025SenateIntroduced(S) Introduced
- Jan 22, 2025House(LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- Jan 14, 2025House(LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- Jan 14, 2025House(LC) Draft in Assembly
- Jan 13, 2025House(LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- Jan 13, 2025House(LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- Jan 8, 2025House(LC) Draft in Edit
- Jan 8, 2025House(LC) Draft in Legal Review
- Dec 11, 2024House(LC) Drafter Assigned
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
bills.legmt.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 35)
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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