---
type: "Bill"
title: "Expand MEPA categorical exclusions"
description: "Expand MEPA categorical exclusions"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 85"
citation: "Montana HB 85 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Environmental Protection"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Marty Malone"]
version_count: 10
action_count: 43
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2022-10-07T12:27:29+00:00"
last_action: "2023-03-16T23:28:54+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/616f1d53-f10b-4875-8a6d-4e85f2c63f20"
source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/bill/20231/LC0683"
source_hash: "fe060ec1fc3c7a6821ac431c95b40b3d09e8f8042e6ce1e08257cfa36c693d7c"
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 (2023) — Expand MEPA categorical exclusions

## Version chain

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

1. **HB0085.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=2297)
2. **HB0085.001.002_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=2298)
3. **HB0085.002.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=2299)
4. **HB0085.002.002_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=2300)
5. **HB0085.002.004.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=2301)
6. **HB0085.002.004_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=2302)
7. **HB0085002CWS19697.slc.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=10369)
8. **HB0085_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=2303)
9. **HB0085_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=2304)
10. **HB0085_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=2305)

## Votes

- (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred — **8–3** (pass) · upper
- (H) 2nd Reading Passed — **93–6** (pass) · lower
- (S) 3rd Reading Concurred — **34–16** (pass) · upper
- (S) 2nd Reading Concurred — **34–16** (pass) · upper
- (H) 3rd Reading Passed — **93–5** (pass) · lower
- (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended — **14–1** (pass) · lower
- (S) 2nd Reading Motion to Amend Failed — **22–28** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Marty Malone — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-03-16T23:28:54+00:00** Chapter Number Assigned `became-law`
- **2023-03-16T22:05:52+00:00** (H) Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-14T21:50:00+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2023-03-14T21:10:00+00:00** (S) Signed by President `passage`
- **2023-03-08T21:15:00+00:00** (H) Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2023-02-27T23:24:53+00:00** (C) Printed - Enrolled Version Available `enrolled`
- **2023-02-27T23:24:52+00:00** (H) Returned from Enrolling
- **2023-02-20T22:43:22+00:00** (H) Sent to Enrolling
- **2023-02-16T21:17:43+00:00** (S) Returned to House
- **2023-02-15T21:08:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-02-15T20:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2023-02-14T20:51:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2023-02-14T20:49:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Motion to Amend Failed `amendment-failure, failure, reading-2`
- **2023-02-14T20:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2023-02-07T20:22:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred
- **2023-01-31T17:18:00+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred
- **2023-01-26T22:00:41+00:00** (S) Hearing
- **2023-01-23T21:55:37+00:00** (S) Hearing Canceled
- **2023-01-18T17:53:51+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-17T20:16:50+00:00** (S) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2023-01-17T20:05:04+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Senate
- **2023-01-16T21:03:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-01-16T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2023-01-13T20:24:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2023-01-13T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2023-01-10T20:37:25+00:00** (C) Printed - New Version Available
- **2023-01-10T20:15:00+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-09T23:46:00+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended `committee-passage`
- **2023-01-09T21:55:42+00:00** (C) Amendments Available
- **2023-01-06T22:00:36+00:00** (H) Hearing
- **2023-01-02T20:53:06+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2022-12-20T19:23:54+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee `referral-committee`
- **2022-12-14T16:15:15+00:00** (C) Introduced Bill Text Available Electronically
- **2022-12-12T19:46:47+00:00** (H) Introduced
- **2022-12-08T23:41:25+00:00** (C) Draft in Assembly
- **2022-12-08T19:30:43+00:00** (C) Executive Director Review
- **2022-12-06T19:30:05+00:00** (C) Bill Draft Text Available Electronically
- **2022-12-06T19:30:04+00:00** (C) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2022-12-06T00:10:10+00:00** (C) Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2022-12-01T02:33:15+00:00** (C) Draft to Drafter - Edit Review
- **2022-11-29T22:19:55+00:00** (C) Draft in Edit
- **2022-11-29T21:54:01+00:00** (C) Draft in Legal Review
- **2022-10-07T12:27:29+00:00** (C) Draft Request Received `receipt`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/616f1d53-f10b-4875-8a6d-4e85f2c63f20`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).