House Bill 13 proposes significant revisions to the laws governing state employee compensation, focusing on per diem rates, employer contributions for group benefits, and the hourly pay rate for legislators. Key changes include a base salary increase for employees of either $1.00 an hour or 2.5%, whichever is greater, starting in July 2025 and 2026. Additionally, the employer contribution for group benefits will rise to $1,080 a month in January 2026 and $1,107 a month in January 2027. The bill also introduces a new formula for determining legislator salaries based on the average hourly wage in Montana, with specific calculations for future legislative sessions.

Moreover, the bill amends reimbursement policies for state employees on official travel, aligning meal reimbursements with federal standards and requiring documentation for lodging expenses. It clarifies that legislators are entitled to a daily allowance for session-related expenses, including mileage reimbursement and additional trips to their residences. The bill includes appropriations for various state agencies to implement these changes, with $1,000,000 allocated from the general fund for personnel contingencies and $75,000 for a labor-management training initiative. The effective date for these provisions is set for July 1, 2025, and amendments to existing sections of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) are included to reflect these updates.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_1(1): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_1(2): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_1(3): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_1(4): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_1(5): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_1(6): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_1(7): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_1: 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(1): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(10): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(11): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(2): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(3): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(4): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(5): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(6): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(7): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(8): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2(9): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_2: 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_3: 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(1): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(10): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(11): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(12): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(13): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(14): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(15): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(16): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(17): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(18): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(19): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(2): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(20): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(3): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(4): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(5): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(6): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(7): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(8): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X(9): 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301
HB0013_X: 2-18-303, 2-18-501, 2-18-703, 5-2-301