2025 Legislative Lookback

HB 86 — Beer and Table Wine Distribution Act

• Affects: Distributors
• Effective: May 12, 2025

Reorganizes the laws pertaining to beer wholesalers and table wine distributors now that these operate under a single combined license.

HB 92 — Alcohol law corrections and winery sales to agency liquor stores

• Affects: Wineries and agency liquor stores
• Effective: April 7, 2025

Corrects the definition of alcoholic beverage license; adds registrations to the list of items the Department of Revenue can issue; clarifies how many officers must be vetted for publicly traded corporations; removes obsolete language pertaining to distributors; and revises related statutes to allow wineries to sell wine to agency liquor stores.

HB 123 — Self-service beer and wine devices

• Affects: On-premises licensees
• Effective: October 1, 2025

Allows on-premises licensees to use department-approved electronic or technology-based devices to pour predetermined amounts of beer or wine, provided the licensee monitors the device to ensure consumers are not overserved.

HB 150 — Regulated lenders and license collateral

• Affects: All alcoholic beverage licensees
• Effective: October 1, 2025

Revises language pertaining to regulated lenders and the pledging of an alcoholic beverage license or other assets as collateral.

HB 157 — Two versions of Responsible Alcohol Sales and Service (RASS) training

• Affects: All alcoholic beverage licensees selling to the public
• Effective: January 1, 2026

Establishes two types of RASS training programs: one for employees at establishments that provide on-premises consumption, and one for employees at establishments that only provide off-premises consumption. The off-premises program must be half the length of the on-premises program.

HB 196 — Digital identification in server training and fraud rules

• Affects: All alcoholic beverage licensees selling to the public
• Effective: October 1, 2025

Updates RASS training to include government-certified digital identification cards, and includes digital identification cards as a prohibited form of fraudulent identification.

HB 211 — Third-party delivery license for beer and table wine

• Affects: Off-premises licensees and the new third-party delivery licensee
• Effective: January 1, 2026

Creates a third-party delivery license and allows off-premises licensees to use drivers of a third-party delivery licensee to deliver beer and table wine to customers. Drivers must complete a responsible sales and service training program or a delivery training program. Off-premises licensees that are licensed as a grocery store or pharmacy may apply for a delivery endorsement to deliver beer and table wine using their own employees.

HB 249 — Data protection for digital identification

• Affects: All alcoholic beverage licensees selling to the public
• Effective: October 1, 2025

Requires the protection of the data or metadata behind a person's digital or physical identification. That data may be used only to determine the person's age, may not be transferred or sold to another party, and must be permanently deleted within 180 days of being scanned.

HB 391 — Concessionaire compensation by net sales

• Affects: Alcoholic beverage licensees permitted to have concessionaires, and concessionaires
• Effective: October 1, 2025

Allows a licensee to compensate a concessionaire based on either gross or net alcoholic beverage sales.

HB 491 — Continuing care retirement community licenses

• Affects: Continuing care retirement community licensees
• Effective: July 1, 2025

Revises the laws pertaining to continuing care retirement community licenses by allowing delivery to resident living units on the campus; allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages at multiple service locations, patios and decks, and swimming areas; allowing a noncontiguous storage area if two or more service buildings are approved; and revising applicable definitions.

HB 549 — Distillery warehouse receipts

• Affects: Distillery licensees
• Effective: July 1, 2025

Allows a Montana distillery licensee to issue or sell warehouse receipts for aging liquor to any person, and allows that person to resell the receipts. Ownership of a warehouse receipt does not constitute ownership, control, or affiliation with the distillery that originally issued it.

HB 668 — Gambling prohibited at newly licensed veterans', fraternal, and officers' clubs

• Affects: Newly licensed veterans', fraternal, and officers' clubs
• Effective: May 8, 2025

Prohibits gambling activities on the premises of any new entity licensed under 16-4-201(8)(c) or 16-4-105(1)(e), MCA. For all-beverage licenses and retail on-premises consumption beer and wine licenses, this includes any post of a nationally chartered veterans' organization or a lodge of a recognized national fraternal organization. For retail on-premises consumption beer and wine licenses, this also includes enlisted persons', noncommissioned officers', or officers' clubs located on a state or federal military reservation.

HB 735 — Fingerprint requirements for license applicants

• Affects: Alcoholic beverage license applicants
• Effective: May 8, 2025

Provides several new definitions and lists the alcoholic beverage license types for which applicants are subject to fingerprint background checks.

HB 882 — Additional structures for all-beverage and resort licensees

• Affects: All-beverage licensees and resort all-beverage licensees
• Effective: June 1, 2025

Allows all-beverage and resort all-beverage licensees whose premises include a hotel and are located outside an incorporated city or town to serve alcohol in up to two additional structures separate from the main licensed premises, provided the additional buildings are within the same property boundaries and under the licensee's control. Allows on-premises consumption of alcoholic beverages at a resort-area licensee's premises when those beverages were provided by another on-premises consumption licensee in the same resort area. Allows on-premises consumption licensees operating as a guest ranch to sell and serve alcoholic beverages in up to three permanent buildings on the guest ranch, subject to department approval. Provides a $100 fee for each additional building.

SB 132 — Separate MIP offenses for alcohol, marijuana, and other intoxicants

• Affects: Individuals under 21
• Effective: October 1, 2025

Creates separate criminal offenses for minor in possession or unlawful attempt to purchase alcohol, marijuana, or other intoxicating substances, allowing clearer tracking of penalties for individuals under 21.

SB 241 — License transfers when the seller has outstanding tax debt

• Affects: All alcoholic beverage licensees and applicants
• Effective: April 8, 2025

Prohibits the Department of Revenue from denying or withholding the transfer of a license solely because the seller has outstanding taxes, penalties, or interest. Proceeds from the sale of the license are subject to any existing liens or warrants for distraint the department has filed against the seller. Applies to transfers currently in process and to any new ones.

HB 315 — Restaurant beer and wine (RBW) food-sales ratio

Would have required RBW licensees to obtain 70% of gross income from food sales instead of 65%, and would have allowed the sale of alcoholic beverages to patrons regardless of whether they ordered food. Would have removed the requirement for a set number of service days per week and an evening meal, set hours no earlier than 8 a.m. or later than 11 p.m., and allowed the service of beer and table wine for 12 consecutive hours.

SB 195 — Possession and consumption for people 18 to 20

Would have allowed a person at least 18 but under 21 years of age to possess and consume beer or table wine on a licensed premises, with the consent of the licensee and in the presence of a parent, legal guardian, or spouse who is 21 or older.

SB 150 — Cigar room endorsement for all-beverage licenses

Would have created a cigar room endorsement, available only to all-beverage licensees, permitting the smoking of premium cigars in a designated indoor area.

HB 407 — Department of Revenue as regulatory agency for kratom

Would have established the Department of Revenue as the regulatory agency for kratom, requiring registration of processors, distributors, and retailers; implementing an excise tax; providing penalties for violations; and granting the department rulemaking authority.