Immigration

HB 469 revises state law regarding the recognition of out-of-state driver's licenses for non-residents operating motor vehicles. The bill clarifies that a non-resident's license is not valid if it belongs to a class of licenses issued exclusively to individuals unlawfully present in the United States. It mandates the Motor Vehicle Division of the Department of Justice to establish rules for identifying and classifying these specific out-of-state licenses.

HB 439, "Creating sheriffs' first initiative for cooperation and communication," aimed to regulate arrests, searches, and seizures conducted by federal employees and agents in Montana. The bill would have required federal personnel, unless designated as state peace officers, to obtain written permission from the county sheriff before making an arrest, search, or seizure. It provided exceptions for situations like operations on federal land or when an immediate arrest for a witnessed crime was necessary. For some exceptions, permission from the state attorney general would have been required. The bill also allowed county sheriffs discretion on whether to implement these provisions and declared federal laws granting federal employees sheriff-like authority invalid in the state.