Bill > HB522

This bill establishes liability guidelines for entities in the pesticide supply chain, including manufacturers, marketers, dealers, distributors, retailers, and sellers, by creating a clear legal framework for warning consumers about pesticide risks. The bill specifies that these entities have a duty to warn consumers, applicators, and the public about pesticide risks, and can satisfy this warning requirement if the pesticide bears a label approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and is registered with the EPA and state department of agriculture. The legislation limits liability, stating that a cause of action cannot arise for failing to warn if the label meets the specified federal and state requirements. The bill uses standard definitions for terms like "applicator", "label", "pesticide", and "retailer" as defined in existing state law. Additionally, the bill includes standard legal provisions such as a severability clause (ensuring that if part of the law is found invalid, the rest remains in effect) and an applicability clause specifying that the law applies to causes of action arising on or after its effective date. The bill is intended to be codified as part of Title 27, Chapter 1, Part 7 of Montana state law, which deals with civil liability.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC2816