---
type: "Bill"
title: "Revising utility cost tracking and recovery laws"
description: "Revising utility cost tracking and recovery laws"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "HB 85"
citation: "Montana HB 85 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Utilities"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Brad Tschida"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 47
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2020-09-15"
last_action: "2021-03-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e5c2e02d-70cd-4759-a0d2-795dd0ea7f94"
source_url: "http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/LAW0210W$BSIV.ActionQuery?P_BILL_NO1=85&P_BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=HB&Z_ACTION=Find&P_SESS=20211"
source_hash: "dc51d6682f3e1410e7e33e2c383a4a8f47b8a184159b02ddf9bedf713e8e1be6"
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 85 (2021) — Revising utility cost tracking and recovery laws

## Version chain

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

1. **HB0085_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/HB0099//HB0085_1.pdf)
2. **HB0085_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/HB0099//HB0085_X.pdf)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/billpdf/HB0085.pdf)

## Votes

- DO PASS — **12–0** (pass) · lower
- BE CONCURRED IN — **13–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **100–0** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **49–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **98–1** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **49–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Brad Tschida — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-09-15** Draft Request Received
- **2020-11-23** Draft in Legal Review
- **2020-11-25** Draft in Edit
- **2020-11-30** Draft Canceled
- **2020-12-04** Draft On Hold
- **2020-12-04** Draft in Edit
- **2020-12-08** Draft to Drafter - Edit Review
- **2020-12-08** Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2020-12-09** Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2020-12-09** Bill Draft Text Available Electronically
- **2020-12-10** Executive Director Review
- **2020-12-10** Draft in Assembly
- **2020-12-15** Introduced Bill Text Available Electronically
- **2020-12-15** Introduced `introduction`
- **2020-12-24** Referred to Committee - (H) Energy, Technology and Federal Relations `referral-committee`
- **2020-12-29** Fiscal Note Requested
- **2021-01-04** First Reading - (H) Energy, Technology and Federal Relations `reading-1`
- **2021-01-06** Fiscal Note Received
- **2021-01-06** Fiscal Note Signed
- **2021-01-07** Fiscal Note Printed
- **2021-01-13** Hearing - (H) Energy, Technology and Federal Relations
- **2021-01-13** Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed - (H) Energy, Technology and Federal Relations `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-18** Committee Report--Bill Passed - (H) Energy, Technology and Federal Relations `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-20** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-01-20** 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2`
- **2021-01-21** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-01-21** 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-01-21** Transmitted to Senate
- **2021-01-22** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2021-01-22** Referred to Committee - (S) Energy and Telecommunications `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-26** Hearing Canceled - (S) Energy and Telecommunications
- **2021-02-09** Hearing - (S) Energy and Telecommunications
- **2021-02-11** Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) Energy and Telecommunications
- **2021-02-12** Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) Energy and Telecommunications
- **2021-02-19** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-02-19** 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2`
- **2021-02-20** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-02-20** 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-02-20** Returned to House
- **2021-02-22** Sent to Enrolling
- **2021-02-25** Returned from Enrolling
- **2021-02-25** Printed - Enrolled Version Available
- **2021-02-26** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-03-01** Signed by President
- **2021-03-01** Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-03-09** Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-03-09** 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/e5c2e02d-70cd-4759-a0d2-795dd0ea7f94`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).