MT HB726

Lowers the minimum age for surety bail bond insurance licensure from 21 to 18 years and adds a requirement to maintain a fixed place of business or be a full-time agent within Montana

Reduces required basic training from 40 hours to 16 hours, covering constitutional law, civil liability, use of force, arrest procedures, mental health/substance use handling, defensive tactics, ethics, and report writing

Establishes biennial continuing education requirements of 5 hours total: 1 hour on state/federal law updates and 4 hours on general bail industry knowledge

Allows temporary licenses valid for up to 12 months for applicants completing training, with supervision required by a licensed agent with at least 5 consecutive years of experience in Montana and no disciplinary actions

Requires surety bail bond producers to disclose any fees or interest beyond the minimum premium at contract execution, with acknowledgment by all parties