---
type: "Bill"
title: "Clarify terminology on military titles and command authority"
description: "Clarify terminology on military titles and command authority"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 31"
citation: "Montana HB 31 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Military Affairs"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Edward Buttrey"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 40
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2020-10-13"
last_action: "2021-04-16"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/33ff944e-6358-4348-a9c4-57cf7ce6ba7a"
source_url: "http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/LAW0210W$BSIV.ActionQuery?P_BILL_NO1=31&P_BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=HB&Z_ACTION=Find&P_SESS=20211"
source_hash: "9dadc4669ff022af6f86790b5f039b6c87577436e1d94e2e221eea067a3c1f2f"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-mt"]
---

# Montana HB 31 (2021) — Clarify terminology on military titles and command authority

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **HB0031_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/HB0099//HB0031_1.pdf)
2. **HB0031_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/HB0099//HB0031_2.pdf)
3. **HB0031_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/HB0099//HB0031_X.pdf)
4. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/billpdf/HB0031.pdf)

## Votes

- Do Pass — **98–0** (pass) · lower
- BE CONCURRED IN — **8–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Concur — **50–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **100–0** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **49–1** (pass) · upper
- DO PASS AS AMENDED — **19–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Edward Buttrey — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2020-10-13** Draft Request Received
- **2020-12-02** Draft in Legal Review
- **2020-12-02** Draft in Edit
- **2020-12-03** Draft to Drafter - Edit Review
- **2020-12-03** Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2020-12-04** Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2020-12-04** Bill Draft Text Available Electronically
- **2020-12-04** Executive Director Review
- **2020-12-04** Draft in Assembly
- **2020-12-13** Introduced `introduction`
- **2020-12-13** Introduced Bill Text Available Electronically
- **2020-12-24** Referred to Committee - (H) State Administration `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-04** First Reading - (H) State Administration `reading-1`
- **2021-01-07** Hearing - (H) State Administration
- **2021-01-15** Amendments Available
- **2021-01-19** Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) State Administration `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-22** Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) State Administration `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-26** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-01-26** 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2`
- **2021-01-27** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-01-27** 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-01-27** Transmitted to Senate
- **2021-01-28** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2021-01-28** Referred to Committee - (S) State Administration `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-19** Hearing - (S) State Administration
- **2021-03-22** Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) State Administration
- **2021-03-23** Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) State Administration
- **2021-03-26** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-03-26** 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2`
- **2021-03-29** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-03-29** 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-03-29** Returned to House
- **2021-03-30** Sent to Enrolling
- **2021-04-01** Returned from Enrolling
- **2021-04-01** Printed - Enrolled Version Available
- **2021-04-07** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-04-08** Signed by President
- **2021-04-09** Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-16** Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-04-16** Chapter Number Assigned `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/33ff944e-6358-4348-a9c4-57cf7ce6ba7a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).