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SB 134MONTANASession 2025State BillSigned into law

Enacted

Montana Enacts Safeguarding Endowment Gifts Act to Grant Donors Legal Recourse for Unfollowed Restrictions

Original title: Generally revise laws relating to gifts and endowments

Last action · April 18, 2025: Chapter Number AssignedSponsor: Greg Hertz

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Does

Montana establishes the Safeguarding Endowment Gifts Act, allowing individual donors or their legal representatives to file a court complaint against charitable organizations for breaching written endowment restrictions. The law applies retroactively to endowment agreements entered into on or after January 1, 1975, and prohibits courts from ordering the return of donated funds.

Why it matters

Charitable organizations in Montana face legal complaints if they violate written donor-imposed restrictions on s, giving donors or their legal representatives three years from discovery to sue after providing 90 days' written notice.

Who It Affects

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

Directly affected

Charitable organizations

Charitable organizations face potential legal complaints and judicial remedies if they violate written donor-imposed restrictions on endowment funds.

Directly affected

Donors

Donors gain the legal standing to file court complaints for breach of endowment agreements when giving restrictions are not followed.

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

Who can file a complaint against a charitable organization under this law?

The donor or the donor's legal representative may file a complaint after giving 90 days of written notification to the charitable organization.

Can a court order donated funds to be returned to the donor?

No, the court may not order the return of donated funds to the donor, legal representative, or estate.

What is the time limit for filing a complaint after discovering a breach?

A complaint may be filed within 3 years after discovery of the breach of the endowment agreement.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

35 actions

Apr 18, 2025Senate
Chapter Number Assigned
Apr 17, 2025SenateEnrolled
(S) Signed by Governor
Apr 8, 2025Senate
(S) Transmitted to Governor
Apr 8, 2025House
(H) Signed by Speaker
Apr 2, 2025Senate
(S) Signed by President
Mar 30, 2025Senate
(S) Returned from Enrolling

Show 29 earlier actions

Mar 28, 2025Senate
(S) Sent to Enrolling
Mar 28, 2025House
(H) 3rd Reading
Mar 28, 2025House
(H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
Mar 27, 2025House
(H) 2nd Reading
Mar 27, 2025House
(H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
Mar 25, 2025HouseCommittee
(H) Committee Report
Mar 24, 2025HouseCommittee
(H) Committee Executive Action
Feb 17, 2025House
(H) 1st Reading
Feb 17, 2025HouseCommittee
(H) Referred to Committee
Feb 14, 2025Senate
(S) Transmitted to House
Feb 14, 2025Senate
(S) 3rd Reading
Feb 14, 2025Senate
(S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
Feb 12, 2025Senate
(S) 2nd Reading
Feb 12, 2025Senate
(S) 2nd Reading Motion to Amend
Feb 12, 2025Senate
(S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
Feb 10, 2025SenateCommittee
(S) Committee Report
Feb 6, 2025SenateCommittee
(S) Committee Executive Action
Jan 25, 2025Senate
(S) Hearing
Jan 15, 2025SenateCommittee
(S) Referred to Committee
Jan 14, 2025Senate
(S) 1st Reading
Jan 13, 2025SenateIntroduced
(S) Introduced
Jan 13, 2025House
(LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
Jan 10, 2025House
(LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
Jan 9, 2025House
(LC) Draft in Assembly
Jan 9, 2025House
(LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
Jan 8, 2025House
(LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
Jan 6, 2025House
(LC) Draft in Edit
Jan 6, 2025House
(LC) Draft in Legal Review
Nov 22, 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.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

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

policy shift95% confidence

Creation of Direct Donor Enforcement Mechanism

The Act shifts enforcement capabilities by explicitly granting individual donors and legal representatives independent standing to sue charitable organizations for contract breaches without requiring a return of funds.

Safeguarding Endowment Gifts Act

Connected Entities

Internal Revenue Code, Montana Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, Safeguarding Endowment Gifts Act

OrganizationInternal Revenue Code“Provides tax-exempt designation references under section 501(c)(3)”Map →

otherMontana Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act“Governs modification of restrictions on institutional funds under Title 72, chap”Map →

otherSafeguarding Endowment Gifts Act“The newly created act under SB 134”Map →

Sources

Open source document

bills.legmt.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy35
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz25
Current news / social attention level

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