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SB 327MONTANASession 2025State Billpassed chamber
Passed

Montana Bill SB 327 revises motor vehicle registration fees and fund transfers

Original title: Revise motor vehicle registration fees

Last action · May 23, 2025: (H) Died in CommitteeSponsor: Greg Hertz

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Would Do

Senate Bill 327 modifies registration fees for various motor vehicles, trailers, and watercraft in Montana, while adjusting fund transfers and local government entitlement share calculations. The bill alters fees based on vehicle age, type, and weight, and adjusts allocations to state accounts including wildlife, parks, and veterans' services.

Why it matters

Vehicle owners across Montana would experience changes to their annual or one-time registration fees depending on the classification of their vehicle, trailer, or waterboat, while local governments and state special revenue funds would see corresponding adjustments in revenue distribution.

Background
  • Senate Bill 327 was introduced during the 2025 legislative session in Montana's upper house. context

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Vehicle owners

Vehicle owners face revised registration fees and fee structures for light vehicles, trailers, motor homes, and watercraft.

Directly affected

Local governments

Local governments experience changes to entitlement share payments and revenue distribution calculations.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does SB 327 change?
SB 327 revises registration fees for motor vehicles, trailers, watercraft, and other transport categories, and modifies fund transfers and local government entitlement share formulas.
Who introduced this bill?
The bill was introduced by Senator Greg Hertz (Republican, District 7).

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.

Procedural history

38 actions
  1. May 23, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Died in Committee
  2. Apr 16, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Tabled in Committee
  3. Apr 9, 2025House
    (H) Hearing
  4. Apr 4, 2025House
    (H) 1st Reading
  5. Apr 4, 2025Senate
    (S) Revised Fiscal Note Printed
  6. Apr 4, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Referred to Committee
Show 32 earlier actions
  1. Apr 3, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Unsigned
  2. Apr 3, 2025Senate
    (S) Revised Fiscal Note Received
  3. Apr 3, 2025Senate
    (S) Transmitted to House
  4. Apr 3, 2025Senate
    (S) 3rd Reading
  5. Apr 3, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
  6. Apr 2, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Committee Report
  7. Apr 2, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Committee Executive Action
  8. Apr 1, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Requested
  9. Apr 1, 2025Senate
    (S) Hearing
  10. Apr 1, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Rereferred to Committee
  11. Apr 1, 2025Senate
    (S) 2nd Reading
  12. Apr 1, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
  13. Mar 28, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Committee Report
  14. Mar 28, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Committee Executive Action
  15. Mar 24, 2025Senate
    (S) Hearing
  16. Feb 24, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Printed
  17. Feb 24, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Unsigned
  18. Feb 24, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Received
  19. Feb 14, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Referred to Committee
  20. Feb 14, 2025Senate
    (S) 1st Reading
  21. Feb 14, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Requested
  22. Feb 14, 2025SenateIntroduced
    (S) Introduced
  23. Feb 13, 2025House
    (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
  24. Feb 13, 2025House
    (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
  25. Feb 12, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Assembly
  26. Feb 12, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
  27. Feb 12, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
  28. Feb 8, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Edit
  29. Feb 7, 2025House
    (LC) Draft in Legal Review
  30. Jan 31, 2025House
    (LC) Draft Taken Off Hold
  31. Nov 29, 2024House
    (LC) Draft On Hold
  32. Nov 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

Greg HertzSenate · District 7RepublicanPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Comprehensive Fee and Fund Restructuring

The bill simultaneously alters vehicle registration fees across multiple vehicle classes and modifies the statutory formulas governing local government entitlement shares and general fund transfers.

Connected Entities

Flathead, Virginia City, Bozeman and 6 more
locationFlathead“Location for tax increment financing districts”Map →
locationVirginia City“Location of state-owned facilities”Map →
locationBozeman“City location for tax increment financing districts”Map →
locationMissoula“City and county location for tax increment financing districts”Map →
locationGallatin“Location for tax increment financing districts”Map →
locationNevada City“Location of state-owned facilities”Map →
locationWhitefish“City location for tax increment financing districts”Map →
PersonGreg Hertz“Republican Senator for District 7 who introduced SB 327”Map →
locationKalispell“City location for tax increment financing districts”Map →

Sources

Open source document

bills.legmt.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance60
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy35
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

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