Bill > SB398

This bill proposes to increase the monetary jurisdiction of municipal courts in Montana by raising the cap on various types of collection-related actions from $25,000 to $50,000. Specifically, the bill amends Section 3-6-103 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to expand the municipal court's jurisdiction in three key areas: (1) actions for collecting money due to or from the city, (2) actions involving breach of official bonds, contracts, damages, or enforcement of forfeited recognizances when the city is involved, and (3) actions for recovering personal property belonging to the city. This change will allow municipal courts to handle a broader range of financial disputes, potentially reducing the burden on district courts and providing more localized judicial resolution for cases involving smaller monetary amounts. The bill maintains the municipal court's existing jurisdictional powers, including handling search warrant applications and felony complaints within city limits, while simply increasing the monetary threshold for civil actions.

Justice

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC2927