HB 289 Montana House · 2025 Regular Session

Revise crime laws

HB 289 aimed to revise Montana's crime laws by expanding the definition of the offense of endangering the welfare of children. The bill sought to include situations where a child is exposed to the production, manufacture, or direct presence of fentanyl, heroin, or cocaine. This would apply to individuals who knowingly engage in these activities in locations where children might reasonably be present. Violations under this specific provision would be classified as a felony, carrying potential penalties of imprisonment, fines, or both.

Issues: ✗ Criminal Justice

Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

House Passage

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 22, 2025 Last action May 22, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB0289_2(10).pdf → HB0289_3.pdf · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill number was updated from HB 289.2 to HB 289.3, indicating a revision in the legislative process. The most significant substantive change involves expanding the definition of drug paraphernalia to explicitly include items used for the injection, ingestion, or inhalation of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, or cocaine. This clarification strengthens the legal definition to better address modern drug use methods. The text also shows a reorganization of the protective order provisions, though the core legal requirements for orders of protection and penalties for violations appear to remain substantively the same.

Scope change

The bill's scope was slightly expanded by clarifying the definition of drug paraphernalia to explicitly cover items used for injection, ingestion, or inhalation of specific drugs, making the law more precise in addressing current drug consumption methods.

DEFINITION

Drug paraphernalia definition was expanded to explicitly include items used for injection, ingestion, or inhalation of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, or cocaine.

TECHNICAL

Bill number was updated from HB 289.2 to HB 289.3, indicating a revision in the legislative process.

Text structure was reorganized with changes in line numbering and formatting, but core legal provisions for protective orders and penalties appear unchanged.

Floor votes · House Feb 12, 2025

How they voted

100–0

Passed

Total votes 100

Feb 12, 2025

D Democratic42

42 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican58

58 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 28, 2025

Amended

(S) Tabled in Committee - (S) Judiciary

upper

Feb 21, 2025

Committee

(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Judiciary

upper

Feb 12, 2025

House · Passed

House Vote: pass (100-0)

house

Feb 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

(H) Committee Report - (H) Judiciary

lower

Feb 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Judiciary

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Committee

(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Judiciary

lower

Jan 22, 2025

Introduced

(H) Introduced

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors