---
type: "Bill"
title: "Clarifying that easement rights retained when canal or ditch converted to pipeline"
description: "Clarifying that easement rights retained when canal or ditch converted to pipeline"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 355"
citation: "Montana HB 355 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Property", "Water"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ken Walsh"]
version_count: 17
action_count: 36
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-11-12T00:32:38+00:00"
last_action: "2025-05-14T17:11:13+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/66c39a84-6596-427d-9a32-f9441143961b"
source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC1218?open_tab=sum"
source_hash: "8eb58f90ff74cca33cb5b01f05a8d0c98bf1200d5ee38ca620a5e2f998ba3b92"
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 355 (2025) — Clarifying that easement rights retained when canal or ditch converted to pipeline

## Version chain

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

1. **HB0355_1(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=277749)
2. **HB0355_1(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284520)
3. **HB0355_1(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=307655)
4. **HB0355_1(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310007)
5. **HB0355_1(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310013)
6. **HB0355_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=277387)
7. **HB0355_X(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=311577)
8. **HB0355_X(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=311578)
9. **HB0355_X(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=317043)
10. **HB0355_X(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=320610)
11. **HB0355_X(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=322120)
12. **HB0355_X(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=322121)
13. **HB0355_X(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=324812)
14. **HB0355_X(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=326093)
15. **HB0355_X(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=327023)
16. **HB0355_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=311049)
17. **LC1218.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=270293)

## Votes

- Do Concur — **49–1** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **98–2** (pass) · lower
- Do Pass — **98–2** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **47–1** (pass) · upper
- do_pass — **14–0** (pass) · lower
- be_concurred_in — **11–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Ken Walsh — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-11-12T00:32:38+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned
- **2025-01-08T16:39:25+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review
- **2025-01-08T17:36:12+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit
- **2025-01-08T23:43:33+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2025-01-09T15:32:21+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2025-01-10T03:46:37+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly
- **2025-01-10T23:48:58+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2025-01-30T14:54:59+00:00** (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- **2025-01-30T20:17:06+00:00** (H) Introduced
- **2025-01-31T18:55:47+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee - (H) Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-31T19:51:25+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-02-07T00:24:53+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Natural Resources
- **2025-02-12T23:59:02+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed - (H) Natural Resources `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-13T20:22:00+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Passed - (H) Natural Resources `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-18T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-02-18T20:45:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-02-19T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-02-19T21:42:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-02-19T22:12:16+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Senate
- **2025-02-20T20:16:45+00:00** (S) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-03-01T21:59:30+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee - (S) Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-03T01:36:04+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Natural Resources
- **2025-04-09T23:39:50+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) Natural Resources
- **2025-04-10T17:05:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) Natural Resources
- **2025-04-11T22:24:10+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Pass Consideration `reading-2`
- **2025-04-12T15:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-04-12T15:48:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-04-14T16:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-04-14T17:40:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-14T17:40:37+00:00** (H) Sent to Enrolling
- **2025-04-16T14:30:40+00:00** (H) Returned from Enrolling
- **2025-04-23T23:30:00+00:00** (H) Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-04-25T19:00:35+00:00** (S) Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-04-25T21:33:14+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-05-05T18:37:31+00:00** (H) Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-14T17:11:13+00:00** 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/66c39a84-6596-427d-9a32-f9441143961b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).