In February 2013, Lavin gained nationwide media attention for introducing a bill that would allow an authorized representative to vote in municipalelections on behalf of a corporation owning property in that municipality. Lavin later said that he introduced the bill at the request of a constituent. He believed the bill merely allowed non-resident property owners to vote in elections and did not realize that the bill would also allow representatives to vote on behalf of corporations. The bill died in committee.[2]
In 2020, Lavin, then a Major in the Montana Highway Patol, was selected to become the new Colonel, succeeding the retirement of Colonel Tom Butler. At the beginning of 2021, Lavin assumed the role of the Colonel of the Montana Highway Patrol.