---
type: "Bill"
title: "Generally revising school funding to increase GTB and lower property taxes"
description: "Generally revising school funding to increase GTB and lower property taxes"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 663"
citation: "Montana HB 663 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Revenue", "State", "School Finance", "Schools and Education", "Taxation--Property"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Brandon Ler"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 78
vote_count: 14
first_action: "2020-11-16"
last_action: "2021-05-14"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e6830c04-2a6a-4ca7-b6a8-8020aac4d4e5"
source_url: "http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/LAW0210W$BSIV.ActionQuery?P_BILL_NO1=663&P_BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=HB&Z_ACTION=Find&P_SESS=20211"
source_hash: "90cfe5ed8686985a2b6f35a50af339e193202179f5c5020892492596e23f7d73"
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 663 (2021) — Generally revising school funding to increase GTB and lower property taxes

## Version chain

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

1. **HB0663_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/HB0699//HB0663_1.pdf)
2. **HB0663_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/HB0699//HB0663_2.pdf)
3. **HB0663_3.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/HB0699//HB0663_3.pdf)
4. **HB0663_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/HB0699//HB0663_X.pdf)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/billpdf/HB0663.pdf)

## Votes

- Do Adopt — **50–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **67–29** (pass) · lower
- BE CONCURRED IN AS AMENDED — **11–8** (pass) · upper
- BE CONCURRED IN — **10–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Concur — **49–1** (pass) · upper
- Do Not Concur — **65–35** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **48–2** (pass) · upper
- DO PASS — **11–6** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **49–1** (pass) · upper
- Do Concur — **50–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **66–33** (pass) · lower
- DO PASS — **17–7** (pass) · lower
- Do Adopt — **97–1** (pass) · lower
- Do Adopt — **97–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Brandon Ler — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-11-16** Draft Request Received
- **2020-12-17** Draft On Hold
- **2021-03-17** Draft Taken Off Hold
- **2021-03-18** Draft in Legal Review
- **2021-03-19** Draft in Edit
- **2021-03-19** Draft to Drafter - Edit Review
- **2021-03-19** Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2021-03-19** Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2021-03-19** Bill Draft Text Available Electronically
- **2021-03-19** Executive Director Review
- **2021-03-19** Draft in Assembly
- **2021-03-19** Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2021-03-19** Executive Director Final Review
- **2021-03-19** Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2021-03-22** Draft Delivered to Requester
- **2021-03-22** Introduced `introduction`
- **2021-03-22** Fiscal Note Requested
- **2021-03-22** Introduced Bill Text Available Electronically
- **2021-03-23** Referred to Committee - (H) Education `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-23** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2021-03-29** Fiscal Note Received
- **2021-03-29** Fiscal Note Signed
- **2021-03-29** Hearing - (H) Education
- **2021-03-29** Fiscal Note Printed
- **2021-03-31** Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed - (H) Education `committee-passage`
- **2021-03-31** Committee Report--Bill Passed - (H) Education `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-01** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-04-01** 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2`
- **2021-04-01** Rereferred to Committee - (H) Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-06** Hearing - (H) Appropriations
- **2021-04-06** Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed - (H) Appropriations `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-06** Committee Report--Bill Passed - (H) Appropriations `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-07** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-04-07** 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-07** Transmitted to Senate
- **2021-04-08** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2021-04-08** Referred to Committee - (S) Education and Cultural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-12** Hearing - (S) Education and Cultural Resources
- **2021-04-12** Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) Education and Cultural Resources
- **2021-04-13** Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) Education and Cultural Resources
- **2021-04-15** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-04-15** 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2`
- **2021-04-15** Rereferred to Committee - (S) Finance and Claims `referral-committee`
- **2021-04-20** Hearing - (S) Finance and Claims
- **2021-04-20** Amendments Available
- **2021-04-21** Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred as Amended - (S) Finance and Claims
- **2021-04-21** Committee Report--Bill Concurred as Amended - (S) Finance and Claims
- **2021-04-23** Revised Fiscal Note Requested
- **2021-04-23** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-04-23** 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2`
- **2021-04-23** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-04-23** 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-23** Returned to House with Amendments
- **2021-04-26** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-04-26** 2nd Reading Senate Amendments Not Concurred
- **2021-04-26** Free Conference Committee Appointed - (S) Free Conference
- **2021-04-26** Revised Fiscal Note Received
- **2021-04-26** Revised Fiscal Note Signed
- **2021-04-27** Revised Fiscal Note Printed
- **2021-04-27** Free Conference Committee Appointed - (S) Free Conference
- **2021-04-28** Hearing - (S) Free Conference
- **2021-04-28** Free Conference Committee Report Received - (S) Free Conference
- **2021-04-28** Free Conference Committee Report Received - (S) Free Conference
- **2021-04-28** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-04-28** 2nd Reading Free Conference Committee Report Adopted
- **2021-04-28** 3rd Reading Free Conference Committee Report Adopted
- **2021-04-29** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-04-29** 2nd Reading Free Conference Committee Report Adopted
- **2021-04-29** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-04-29** 3rd Reading Free Conference Committee Report Adopted
- **2021-04-29** Sent to Enrolling
- **2021-05-03** Returned from Enrolling
- **2021-05-03** Printed - Enrolled Version Available
- **2021-05-04** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-05-04** Signed by President
- **2021-05-04** Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-05-14** Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-05-14** 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/e6830c04-2a6a-4ca7-b6a8-8020aac4d4e5`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).