---
type: "Bill"
title: "Revise the Process for Water Right Ownership Updates"
description: "Revise the Process for Water Right Ownership Updates"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 55"
citation: "Montana SB 55 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Water"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Jill Cohenour"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 39
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2020-10-15"
last_action: "2021-04-21"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1e72da0e-3f18-48b5-9244-bdfdc03685cd"
source_url: "http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/LAW0210W$BSIV.ActionQuery?P_BILL_NO1=55&P_BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=SB&Z_ACTION=Find&P_SESS=20211"
source_hash: "e56852d56e17d1a85722b707eef674c35b1f3a021718218905fc2d9c4d44c49f"
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 SB 55 (2021) — Revise the Process for Water Right Ownership Updates

## Version chain

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

1. **SB0055_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/SB0099//SB0055_1.pdf)
2. **SB0055_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/SB0099//SB0055_X.pdf)
3. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2021/billpdf/SB0055.pdf)

## Votes

- Do Concur — **94–4** (pass) · lower
- BE CONCURRED IN — **12–3** (pass) · lower
- DO PASS — **12–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **49–1** (pass) · upper
- Do Concur — **98–2** (pass) · lower
- Do Pass — **47–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Jill Cohenour — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2020-10-15** Draft Request Received
- **2020-10-16** Draft in Legal Review
- **2020-11-02** Draft in Edit
- **2020-11-13** Draft to Drafter - Edit Review
- **2020-11-23** Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2020-11-30** Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2020-11-30** Bill Draft Text Available Electronically
- **2020-11-30** Executive Director Review
- **2020-11-30** Draft in Assembly
- **2020-12-16** Introduced Bill Text Available Electronically
- **2020-12-16** Introduced `introduction`
- **2021-01-04** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2021-01-05** Referred to Committee - (S) Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-18** Hearing - (S) Natural Resources
- **2021-01-18** Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed - (S) Natural Resources `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-19** Committee Report--Bill Passed - (S) Natural Resources `committee-passage`
- **2021-01-21** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-01-21** 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2`
- **2021-01-22** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-01-22** 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-01-22** Transmitted to House
- **2021-01-26** Referred to Committee - (H) Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2021-01-26** First Reading `reading-1`
- **2021-03-10** Hearing - (H) Natural Resources
- **2021-03-12** Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (H) Natural Resources
- **2021-03-16** Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (H) Natural Resources
- **2021-03-24** Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- **2021-03-24** 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2`
- **2021-03-25** Scheduled for 3rd Reading
- **2021-03-25** 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-03-25** Returned to Senate
- **2021-03-26** Sent to Enrolling
- **2021-03-30** Returned from Enrolling
- **2021-03-30** Printed - Enrolled Version Available
- **2021-04-07** Signed by President
- **2021-04-12** Signed by Speaker
- **2021-04-13** Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-04-20** Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-04-21** 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/1e72da0e-3f18-48b5-9244-bdfdc03685cd`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).