This bill requires peace officers in Montana to check and report the immigration status of individuals during lawful stops, unless doing so would hinder an investigation. It directly affects law enforcement officers and individuals who are stopped by police under existing stop-and-frisk provisions. The key provision adds a new requirement for officers to make a reasonable attempt to determine immigration status when practicable and report non-citizens who are not lawfully present to federal immigration agencies. The bill amends existing Montana law to include this immigration status check as part of the standard investigative stop procedure.
This bill, titled the Expanding Physician Access Act, creates a new pathway for internationally trained physicians to obtain provisional medical licenses in Montana. It directly affects healthcare providers seeking to fill staffing gaps, particularly in rural and primary care areas, by allowing them to sponsor qualified international physicians for employment. The bill requires these physicians to have completed medical training, passed relevant licensing exams, and demonstrated English fluency, while maintaining existing safety and competency standards. After three years of continuous practice, provisional licenses automatically convert to full licenses, and the law ensures physicians cannot begin work without proper federal immigration authorization.
This bill requires employers in Montana to use the federal e-Verify system to confirm the work authorization status of all new employees, with an effective date of October 1, 2025. Employers must register for an e-Verify account, submit employee information for verification within three business days of hiring, and retain verification records for the duration of employment or three years. The Montana Attorney General is given authority to investigate complaints about unauthorized workers and may impose fines ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 per violation, with potential license suspension for repeat offenders. Local governments are prohibited from passing laws that conflict with these requirements, and the bill includes protections against discrimination based on race, color, national origin, or other discriminatory factors.
House Bill 618, the "Montana Individual Freedom Act," aimed to restrict how state and local government agencies, including the Department of Military Affairs, could use public funds. The bill would have prohibited these agencies from spending money on memberships, goods, or services from organizations that discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, or religion. It also sought to prevent the expenditure of funds on programs related to "diversity, equity, and inclusion" or on political or social activism. The Attorney General would have been granted authority to investigate alleged violations and adopt rules for enforcement.
SB 462 proposes changes to Montana's driver licensing laws. It would lower the minimum age for restricted licenses from 16 to 15 (with specific conditions), allow counties to request monthly driver examinations instead of requiring them monthly statewide, and add a requirement for the DMV to verify non-citizens' lawful U.S. presence using federal systems. The bill directly affects Montana residents seeking licenses, particularly teens, non-citizens, and local counties managing exam scheduling. These changes were proposed but did not become law, as the bill died in committee in May 2025.
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.
This bill (LC 2019) amends Montana’s obstructing justice law to specifically include individuals who entered the U.S. unlawfully or violated immigration conditions as "offenders." It makes it a crime to knowingly harbor, assist, or provide resources to such individuals, with penalties ranging from fines to up to 10 years in prison for felony violations. The law directly affects people who offer shelter, transportation, or other aid to those with immigration status violations. A $500 appropriation funds the Department of Justice to notify law enforcement about the new requirements. The bill focuses on state-level enforcement of existing immigration status violations, not on creating new immigration policies.
This Montana bill requires certain professionals and officials - including healthcare workers, school staff, social workers, law enforcement, and clergy (with limited exceptions) - to report individuals they know are not lawfully present in the U.S. to the Montana Department of Justice. It specifies required report details (e.g., individual’s name, source of knowledge) and mandates audio recording of phone reports while keeping reporters’ identities confidential. The Department of Justice may share reported information with federal immigration agencies, and the bill appropriates $500 for a reporting website and physical forms. It directly affects the listed professionals who must comply with reporting obligations, not the undocumented individuals themselves.
This bill (LC 1252) proposed revisions to state laws concerning employment of undocumented immigrants. It did not become law, as it died in the legislative process on May 24, 2025, after being drafted but not advanced further. The bill's title indicates it aimed to change regulations around unauthorized employment, but no specific provisions or affected groups were detailed in the provided context. Since it never passed, it did not implement any policy changes.
Bill LC 3133 would have prohibited state and local governments from using tax revenue to pay for legal representation for non-citizens facing deportation (referred to as "removable aliens" in immigration law). This bill would have directly affected state/local budgets by restricting how public funds could be allocated and limited legal services available to non-citizens in deportation proceedings. The key provision required state and local governments to exclude funding for such attorneys from all budgets and spending plans. However, the bill did not advance beyond the drafting stage and died in the legislative process on May 27, 2025.
