5/9/05-The House voted 58-42 in April to reject a bill that would have permitted police to pull over drivers for not wearing their seat belts.
Currently, law enforcement officers in the state can issue seat-belt citations to drivers only after stopping a vehicle for another traffic violation.
SB43, sponsored by Sen. Mike Cooney, D-Helena, previously passed the Senate.

3/24/05-The Senate has approved a bill that would permit police to pull over drivers who are not buckled up.
Currently, law enforcement officers in the state can issue seat-belt citations to drivers only after stopping a vehicle for another traffic violation.
SB43, sponsored by Sen. Mike Cooney, D-Helena, would change that to allow officers to stop drivers for not buckling up. Violators would be fined $20 – the same as current state law.
The bill is in the House Judiciary Committee. For bill status, call (406) 444-4800.

12/30/04-Legislation before the Senate Judiciary Committee would permit police to pull over drivers who are not buckled up.
Currently, police can ticket drivers only after stopping a vehicle for another traffic violation.
SB43, authored by Sen. Mike Cooney, D-Helena, would allow police to pull over drivers if they are not wearing a seat belt.
Montana is being forced to spend a portion of its federal highway money on traffic safety because the state doesn’t have a primary seat belt law.
The federal government mandated in 2001 that states pass the provision or spend a percentage of federal highway dollars on public safety projects such as drunken driving checkpoints and installing cables in medians to prevent crossover accidents.
For bill status, call (406) 444-4800.