Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB592: Generally revise agency rulemaking under MAPA
Status: Signed into law, May 19, 2025
What the bill says
An act generally revising state agency rulemaking under the administrative procedure act; requiring an agency to contact the primary sponsor of legislation related to a rule proposal; revising agency notice and hearing requirements; requiring an agency to implement an interested persons list for rule proposals; specifying rule review committee objection notification requirements; amending sections 2-3-301, 2-4-110, 2-4-111, 2-4-302, 2-4-305, 2-4-306, 2-4-406, and 37-1-122, mca; and providing an immediate effective date and an applicability date.
From the engrossed text:
AN ACT GENERALLY REVISING STATE AGENCY RULEMAKING UNDER THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE ACT; REQUIRING AN AGENCY TO CONTACT THE PRIMARY SPONSOR OF LEGISLATION RELATED TO A RULE PROPOSAL; REVISING AGENCY NOTICE AND HEARING REQUIREMENTS; REQUIRING AN AGENCY TO IMPLEMENT AN INTERESTED PERSONS LIST FOR RULE PROPOSALS; SPECIFYING RULE REVIEW COMMITTEE OBJECTION NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS; AMENDING SECTIONS 2-3-301, 2-4-110, 2-4-111, 2-4-302, 2-4-305, 2-4-306, 2-4-406, AND 37-1-122, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE AND AN APPLICABILITY DATE. Section 1. Sponsor contact for administrative rulemaking -- sponsor comments -- request for economic impact statement. (1) When an agency begins to work on the substantive content of a proposal notice for a rule that initially implements legislation, the agency shall contact the legislator who was the primary sponsor of the legislation. The primary sponsor must be contacted at the sponsor's legislative e-mail address. An agency has complied with the primary sponsor contact requirements of this section upon sending the e-mail meeting the requirements of this subsection. The agency (b) provide the sponsor a timeline to submit informal comments or to meet to discuss the rulemaking; and (c) invite the sponsor's explanation of the legislation's intent. (2) If comments received from the sponsor are not incorporated into the rules proposed, the agency shall set forth the reasons for not incorporating the comments as part of the …