---
type: "Bill"
title: "Exempt small projects from fire hazard reduction agreements"
description: "Exempt small projects from fire hazard reduction agreements"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 79"
citation: "Montana HB 79 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Fires and Fire Protection", "Forests and Forestry", "Property"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Curtis Cochran"]
version_count: 40
action_count: 42
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-10-09T20:09:40+00:00"
last_action: "2025-03-27T16:43:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1377a912-1356-4c6d-96f9-75bc18411a14"
source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC0535?open_tab=sum"
source_hash: "338b6f036bfecaf512cda80755d73539a4dc8daa8d2d813d516522f89d50c07c"
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 79 (2025) — Exempt small projects from fire hazard reduction agreements

## Version chain

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

1. **HB0079.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=270300)
2. **HB0079_1(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=267870)
3. **HB0079_1(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272828)
4. **HB0079_1(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272829)
5. **HB0079_1(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272830)
6. **HB0079_1(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272831)
7. **HB0079_1(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=275381)
8. **HB0079_1(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=276430)
9. **HB0079_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=267869)
10. **HB0079_2(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272833)
11. **HB0079_2(10).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=280622)
12. **HB0079_2(11).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291870)
13. **HB0079_2(12).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291871)
14. **HB0079_2(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272834)
15. **HB0079_2(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272835)
16. **HB0079_2(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272844)
17. **HB0079_2(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272845)
18. **HB0079_2(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272846)
19. **HB0079_2(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=274598)
20. **HB0079_2(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=275579)
21. **HB0079_2(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=276617)
22. **HB0079_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272832)
23. **HB0079_3(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291873)
24. **HB0079_3(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291990)
25. **HB0079_3(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291991)
26. **HB0079_3(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291992)
27. **HB0079_3.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291872)
28. **HB0079_X(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=296055)
29. **HB0079_X(10).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=324095)
30. **HB0079_X(11).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=325794)
31. **HB0079_X(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=296056)
32. **HB0079_X(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=296057)
33. **HB0079_X(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=300825)
34. **HB0079_X(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=300826)
35. **HB0079_X(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=300827)
36. **HB0079_X(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310623)
37. **HB0079_X(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316578)
38. **HB0079_X(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=320178)
39. **HB0079_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=295355)
40. **LC0535.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=265830)

## Votes

- be_concurred_in — **10–1** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **100–0** (pass) · lower
- do_pass_as_amended — **14–0** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **49–1** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **97–0** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **49–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Curtis Cochran — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-10-09T20:09:40+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned
- **2024-11-12T22:27:07+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review
- **2024-11-13T16:34:17+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit
- **2024-11-19T16:06:07+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2024-11-20T16:16:38+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2024-11-20T19:44:32+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly
- **2024-11-21T20:57:00+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2024-12-06T21:31:27+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned
- **2024-12-07T15:43:39+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review
- **2024-12-07T16:22:06+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit
- **2024-12-10T18:27:46+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2024-12-10T21:13:35+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2024-12-10T23:44:12+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly
- **2024-12-12T18:23:12+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2024-12-12T22:32:32+00:00** (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- **2024-12-12T22:33:00+00:00** (H) Introduced
- **2024-12-20T22:13:15+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee - (H) Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-06T18:08:00+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-01-13T16:24:01+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Natural Resources
- **2025-01-17T22:40:27+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Natural Resources `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-20T21:58:38+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Natural Resources `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-23T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-01-23T22:14:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-01-24T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-01-24T22:13:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-01-27T16:27:00+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Senate
- **2025-01-27T19:39:00+00:00** (S) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-01-27T19:47:24+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee - (S) Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-30T23:19:59+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Natural Resources
- **2025-02-10T22:52:00+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) Natural Resources
- **2025-02-11T20:33:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) Natural Resources
- **2025-03-01T15:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-03-01T19:10:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-03-03T20:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-03-03T22:16:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-03T22:17:18+00:00** (H) Sent to Enrolling
- **2025-03-05T21:58:41+00:00** (H) Returned from Enrolling
- **2025-03-17T13:30:56+00:00** (H) Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-03-18T13:15:18+00:00** (S) Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-03-18T16:15:15+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-03-27T16:00:00+00:00** (H) Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-03-27T16:43:00+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/1377a912-1356-4c6d-96f9-75bc18411a14`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).