US EditionThree Republican State Legislators Sue the State of Montana over Major Property Tax Reform
Three Republican lawmakers claim SB 542 unlawfully combined a one-time rebate with permanent tax changes, violating Montana's Constitution and altering the bill’s original purpose.
- On Wednesday, Senate Taxation Committee Chair Greg Hertz, R-Polson, Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, and former state Sen. Keith Regier of Kalispell filed a lawsuit in Gallatin County District Court seeking to invalidate Senate Bill 542.
- Rep. Llew Jones worked with allies to clone HB 231 provisions into SB 542, and plaintiffs say lawmakers removed SB 542’s original language to bundle a one-time appropriation with permanent tax changes, violating Montana’s 1972 Constitution’s single-subject rule.
- As part of the rewrite, lawmakers added $90 million for $400 property tax rebates, while Montana Department of Revenue figures showed median homeowners saved on 2025 tax bills but some high-value properties faced increases.
- If SB 542 is struck down, the state could revert to its 2024 tax system, and the governor’s office warned this would significantly increase property taxes for Montana homeowners.
- Hertz solicited donations routed through a 501, estimated at $25,000 to $50,000, hoping a court ruling will deter future legislative procedural breaches.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Lawsuit targets property tax reform
BOZEMAN — Critics of the 2025 Legislature's hallmark property tax relief bill made good on their promise to challenge the measure on Wednesday, filing a lawsuit in Gallatin County that seeks to undermine core tenets of the package. Three Republican…
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Lawsuit challenges Montana's second-home tax
Legal challenge by prominent Republicans asks court to find that a bill that lowered taxes for an estimated 4 in 5 homeowners and offered $400 property tax rebates is unconstitutional.
Lawsuit challenges second-home tax
Three prominent Republicans filed a lawsuit Wednesday asking a judge to invalidate one of the two bipartisan bills that reduced 2025 property taxes for many Montana homeowners. They argue the legislative sausage-making that brought the bill to the desk of Gov. Greg Gianforte last year violated procedural requirements in the state Constitution. The three plaintiffs are Senate Taxation Committee Chair Greg Hertz, R-Polson, Senate Majority Leader …
Wyoming Board of Equalization readies lawsuit challenging residential property tax cap
The State Board of Equalization will challenge a tax cap on residential property in court, arguing the Wyoming state law enacted two years ago is unconstitutional. The lawsuit is set to be filed Thursday, board Vice-Chairman Marty Hardsocg confirmed to WyoFile. Hardsocg declined to provide other details about the complaint. As part of a slate of 2024 tax bills aimed at lowering the burden for homeowners, the Wyoming Legislature created a tax e…
The Billings Gazette
Helena Independent RecordThree Republican state legislators sue the state of Montana over major property tax reform
The lawsuit puts on display the intra-Republican divisions that were exacerbated by the white-hot property tax debate during the 2025 legislative session.
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