Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana SB356: Revise insurance laws relating to automobile body repair
Status: Failed, May 23, 2025
What the bill says
A bill for an act entitled: "an act revising insurance unfair trade practices relating to the designation of specific automobile body repair businesses; prohibiting an insurer from disregarding or requesting an automobile body repair business to disregard certain instructions from the original equipment manufacturer; amending section 33-18-224, mca; and providing an immediate effective date and an applicability date.".
From the engrossed text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT REVISING INSURANCE UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES RELATING TO THE DESIGNATION OF SPECIFIC AUTOMOBILE BODY REPAIR BUSINESSES; PROHIBITING AN INSURER FROM DISREGARDING OR REQUESTING AN AUTOMOBILE BODY REPAIR BUSINESS TO DISREGARD CERTAIN INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER; AMENDING SECTION 33-18-224, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE AND AN APPLICABILITY DATE." BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA: Section 1. Section 33-18-224, MCA, is amended to read: "33-18-224. Designation of specific automobile body repair businesses prohibited. (1) (a) An insurance company, including its producers and adjusters, that issues or renews a policy of insurance in this state covering, in whole or in part, a motor vehicle may not: (i) require that a claimant under the policy use a particular automobile body repair business or location for an estimate or a repair; (ii) engage in any act or practice that intimidates, coerces, or threatens a claimant or that provides an incentive or inducement for a claimant to use a particular automobile body repair business or location; or (iii) unilaterally disregard a repair operation or cost identified by an estimating system that the insurer and an automobile body repair business or location have agreed to utilize in determining the cost of repair; or (iv) disregard or request an automobile body repair …
Sponsors
- Usher, Barry (R, 19) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : (H) Died in Committee
- : (H) Tabled in Committee
- : (H) Hearing Canceled
- : (H) Hearing
- : (H) 1st Reading
- : (H) Referred to Committee
- : (S) Transmitted to House
- : (S) 3rd Reading
- : (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- : (S) 2nd Reading
Votes
- Do Pass (March 3, 2025): 49 yea, 1 nay, passed
- Do Pass (March 1, 2025): 48 yea, 2 nay, passed
Subjects: Transportation, Motor Vehicles, Insurance
Common questions
- What is SB356?
- SB356 is a bill in the Montana Legislature (2025 Regular Session): Revise insurance laws relating to automobile body repair.
- What does SB356 do?
- In its own words: A bill for an act entitled: "an act revising insurance unfair trade practices relating to the designation of specific automobile body repair businesses; prohibiting an insurer from disregarding or requesting an automobile body repair business to disregard certain instructions from the original equipment manufacturer; amending section 33-18-224, mca; and providing an immediate effective date and an applicability date.".
- What is the status of SB356?
- Failed as of May 23, 2025. Latest action: (H) Died in Committee (May 23, 2025).
- Who sponsored SB356?
- Usher, Barry (R, 19).
- Where is the official record for SB356?
- On the Montana Legislature website: https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC0689
Source: official Montana record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.