Generally revise laws related to child safety
SB 259 revises Montana's child safety laws by defining "imminent danger" as a situation where a child faces a high probability of death or serious injury, clarifying that factors like a parent's disability or a positive drug test alone do not meet this standard. The bill requires child protection agencies to provide parents with detailed notifications within 24 hours of a child's removal, including the reason for removal, legal rights, and information about court hearings. It also mandates that agencies make reasonable efforts to protect children without removing them from a parent who is a victim of domestic violence (such as assault or strangulation), while providing referrals to domestic violence programs. Additionally, the bill prohibits placing children in jail and requires law enforcement to share body camera footage with the court at the first hearing if involved in a child's removal.
Bill status
died
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 3, 2025
Last action May 23, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
LC1651.pdf
→
SB0259_1.pdf
·
2 edits
MINOR
The bill was renumbered from LC 1651 to SB 259 and the sponsor was identified as J. Trebas. These are administrative updates that do not alter the bill's legal content or policy impact.
TECHNICAL
Removed the original bill number LC 1651.1 from the header and page footers.
Added the new bill number SB 259.1 and identified the sponsor as J. Trebas.
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
16
Key actions
1
Committee
2
Amendments
1
Feb 14, 2025
Amended
(S) Tabled in Committee - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety
upper
Feb 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety
upper
Feb 5, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
(S) Introduced
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Jeremy Trebas
RRepublican
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about SB 259
Scope: MT
Hi! I can help you understand SB 259. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline