LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE - BRITT KISSOCK-ROBINSON, CHAIR
February 18, 2026 Legislative Report submitted by: Britt Kissock-Robinson, Legislative Chair
CONCERNING HORSES
EQUINE HERPESVIRUS – NEUROLOGIC IN MONTANA
February 8: Dr. Randall shared what he received (as a veterinarian) regarding the case in Butte. The information included that this was a 2YO QH mare with severe neurological signs; that she tested positive for EHV-4; that the onset of clinical signs was 2/06 and rapidly progressed from hypermetric gait in the hind limbs to “dog sitting,” sternal recumbency and difficulty urinating. It was also reported the horse had been on two separate premises in Silver Bow County during the prior 14 days and that both premises were under quarantine.
Interestingly, there is little to no additional information found on the EDCC site or elsewhere other than a couple vague articles in horse magazines only stating that the horse tested positive for EHV-1 but not mentioning neurological signs.
EDCC Reported:
Equine Herpesvirus- Neurologic
Silver Bow County, MT.
Alert ID: 4876
Investigation Initiated
Source: Montana Department of Livestock
Number Confirmed: 1
Number Exposed: 50
Allegedly, the mare was at the Rodeo Grounds in Butte at the onset of her clinical signs, but that is unconfirmed.
SCREWWORM LARVAE FOUND IN HORSE IMPORTED FROM ARGENTINA
February 6: A horse from Argentina undergoing routine USDA import quarantine at a facility in Florida was recently found to have New World Screwworm (NWS) larvae in an open wound. The animal was immediately treated; samples were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories for test confirmation.
Accordingly, the horse will remain in quarantine until it has been reexamined and determined to be free of NWS. This situation does not appear to be associated with the NWS outbreak in Mexico that USDA is currently monitoring; it underscores the vigilance in all of USDA’s coordinated efforts to fight NWS. https://equinediseasecc.org/news/article/Screwworm-Larvae-Found-in-Horse-Imported-from-Argentina
EDCC JANUARY STATISTICS
USDA POSTPONES IMPLEMENTATION OF HORSE PROTECTION AMENDMENTS
January 28, 2026—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it will postpone the effective date for the Horse Protection Amendments final rule until December 31, 2026. Previously scheduled to take effect on February 1, 2026, recent events have required further extension of the implementation timeline. Several provisions of the rule have been vacated by the courts:
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Judicial Vacatur: A January 2025 decision by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas vacated several key provisions of the 2024 rule, including the prohibition of pads and action devices and the proposed replacement for the "scar rule."
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Ongoing Litigation: A June 2025 lawsuit challenged existing HPA regulations, including a policy prohibiting noncompliant horses from competing in subsequent classes and the current scar rule standards. A preliminary injunction granted in August 2025 has created a piecemeal regulatory environment, making it impractical to implement the surviving 2024 provisions at this time.
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Legislative Direction: In November 2025, a House Committee Report accompanying the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations package directed APHIS to withdraw the 2024 final rule.
The delay also relieves horse show managers from new recordkeeping and reporting requirements that were slated to begin in February.
Contact: horseprotection@usda.gov
FROM MONTANA.GOV
CLAIM LOWER PROPERTY TAX RATE BY MARCH 1
February 12: Montana homeowners have until March 1 to apply for the 2026 Homestead Reduced Rate on their primary home and long-term rentals. To qualify, applicants must attest that they will own and live in their Montana home as their principal residence for at least seven months during 2026. When applying, homeowners will need to provide the property’s physical address, geocode, and the names and Social Security numbers of the property owners. Properties that qualified for and received the 2025 property tax rebate will automatically qualify for the 2026 Homestead Reduced Rate if ownership has not changed and the property continues to be used as the primary residence.
POTENTIAL VIOLATION OF MONTANA’S SANCTUARY CITY BAN
February 11: The state will investigate recent actions taken by local governments that may be in violation of Montana’s sanctuary city ban. The announcement comes after the Helena City Commission voted on a resolution that prevents local law enforcement officers from assisting federal immigration law enforcement operations.
In 2021, the legislature passed and the governor signed House Bill 200 (HB 200) into law to ban sanctuary cities in Montana by requiring state and local law enforcement to comply with federal immigration law. The law allows the state’s attorney general to pursue civil action against jurisdictions that are found in violation of the law. If violations are found, according to HB 200, any local government or state agency may be fined up to $10,000 for every five days it does not comply with state law. If the Department of Justice determines any jurisdiction is not in compliance, funds distributed to those jurisdictions from the Montana Department of Commerce, including the Coal Endowment Program or the Montana Coal Board, may be halted.
