Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB156: Revise education funding laws by replacing school district BASE levies with countywide BASE levies
Status: Signed into law, May 8, 2025
What the bill says
An act generally revising school funding laws; enhancing school funding equalization by replacing the guaranteed-tax-base-aid-supported school district base levy with a guaranteed-tax-base-aid-supported countywide levy to support the base budgets of school districts; reducing required tuition payments to reflect the countywide levy; revising the use of various forms of nonlevy revenue in relation to school district general fund budgets; replacing district guaranteed tax base aid with county guaranteed tax base aid in support of the new countywide levy; revising guaranteed tax base aid laws…
From the engrossed text:
AN ACT GENERALLY REVISING SCHOOL FUNDING LAWS; ENHANCING SCHOOL FUNDING EQUALIZATION BY REPLACING THE GUARANTEED-TAX-BASE-AID-SUPPORTED SCHOOL DISTRICT BASE LEVY WITH A GUARANTEED-TAX-BASE-AID-SUPPORTED COUNTYWIDE LEVY TO SUPPORT THE BASE BUDGETS OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS; REDUCING REQUIRED TUITION PAYMENTS TO REFLECT THE COUNTYWIDE LEVY; REVISING THE USE OF VARIOUS FORMS OF NONLEVY REVENUE IN RELATION TO SCHOOL DISTRICT GENERAL FUND BUDGETS; REPLACING DISTRICT GUARANTEED TAX BASE AID WITH COUNTY GUARANTEED TAX BASE AID IN SUPPORT OF THE NEW COUNTYWIDE LEVY; REVISING GUARANTEED TAX BASE AID LAWS; REVISING THE DUTIES OF TRUSTEES, DISTRICT CLERKS, COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS, AND COUNTY TREASURERS AS RELATED TO THE NEW COUNTYWIDE LEVY; AMENDING SECTIONS 7-15-4291, 15-1-402, 20-3-209, 20-3-324, 20-5-323, 20-5-324, 20-6-702, 20-9-101, 20-9-104, 20-9-131, 20-9-141, 20-9-212, 20-9-235, 20-9-306, 20-9-308, 20-9-310, 20-9336, 20-9-366, 20-9-367, 20-9-368, 20-9-369, AND 20-9-515, MCA; REPEALING SECTION 15-1-409, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN APPLICABILITY DATE. Section 1. Section 7-15-4291, MCA, is amended to read: "7-15-4291. Voluntary agreement to remit unused portion of urban renewal district tax increments. (1) Subject to subsections (2) through (5), a local government with an urban renewal district containing a tax increment provision may enter into an agreement to remit any portion of the annual tax increment not currently required for the payment of the costs listed in 7-15-4288 or pledged to the payment of the principal of premiums, if any, and interest on …