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HJ 70

Study resolution on impacts of federal funding changes on MDT

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Denise Baum

Authorizes an interim study on how changes in federal transportation funding affect Montana's MDT, its budgets, projects, and state financing needs.

(H) Died in Process
#interimstudyresolutions #statefinance #transportation
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Bill Summary · HJ 70

Summary — HJ 70: Study resolution on impacts of federal funding changes on MDT

Status: Joint resolution — Died in Process (House), final status recorded 2025-05-22
Introductory activity: Drafting assigned Dec 15, 2024; formally introduced in the House April 18, 2025
Related bill: LC 4001 (replaces)

Purpose and intent

HJ 70 was a joint resolution to authorize an interim legislative study of how changes in federal transportation funding affect the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT). The resolution sought to gather information to help the Legislature understand risks, fiscal impacts, and policy options if federal funding levels or program rules for transportation change.

Key provisions (as reflected in bill title and subject classification)

  • Establishes an interim study (conducted under legislative authority) focused on the impacts of federal funding changes on MDT.
  • Directs the study to examine, at minimum:
    • The fiscal consequences for MDT operating and capital budgets if federal grants, formula funding, or matching requirements are reduced or restructured.
    • Effects on planned and ongoing transportation projects (construction, maintenance, preservation).
    • Implications for state revenue needs and potential adjustments to state funding mechanisms (e.g., state appropriations, fuel taxes, registration fees).
    • Administrative and compliance impacts, including grant eligibility, staffing, and project delivery timelines.
  • Requires the study committee to gather information from MDT and other stakeholders and to prepare findings/recommendations for the Legislature (typical of interim study resolutions).
    Note: The bill text itself is not included here; the above is a summary of the study scope implied by the title and legislative subject areas (State Finance; Transportation; Appropriations; Taxation).

Who would be affected

  • Montana Department of Transportation (primary subject of study)
  • State budget and appropriations processes
  • Local governments and regional transportation authorities that rely on federal/state matching funds
  • Contractors and project sponsors dependent on state/federal transportation funding
  • Montana taxpayers (indirectly), if study outcomes lead to changes in state revenue or spending policy

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Drafting began Dec 15, 2024; formal House actions occurred in April 2025:
    • Referred to House Transportation Committee (Apr 22, 2025)
    • Committee hearing and executive action in late April; committee reported the bill passed
    • Passed the House (3rd reading passed Apr 29, 2025) and was transmitted to the Senate
  • Final disposition: Died in Process (House) on May 22, 2025 — the resolution was not enacted and therefore did not establish the authorized study.

Potential impact if enacted

If adopted, the study would have produced an analytical foundation to guide legislative choices about state transportation funding, potential revenue adjustments, and policy responses to federal funding shifts. Because HJ 70 did not advance to enactment, those formal findings and recommendations were not produced under this resolution; similar study language would need to be reintroduced or pursued through another interim study vehicle.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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