House Bill No. introduced by C. Schomer, L. Brewster, and M. Vinton aims to clarify the definition of "commercial purpose" in the context of leasing state trust land. The bill specifies that commercial purposes can include the development of single-family or multifamily residential units under a master lease, particularly for the purpose of creating attainable workforce housing. This amendment is intended to facilitate the development of housing options that are accessible to the workforce in Montana.

The bill also revises existing definitions within Section 77-1-902 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA). Notably, it adds language to include "single-family or multifamily residential development authorized under a lease with a master lessee" as part of the commercial purpose. Additionally, it clarifies that leases executed with nonprofit corporations for developing attainable workforce housing are included in this definition. The bill retains existing exclusions from the definition of commercial purpose, such as agriculture and utility rights-of-way, while updating the language to reflect these changes.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 77-1-902
HB0931_1(1): 77-1-902
HB0931_1(2): 77-1-902
HB0931_1: 77-1-902