This bill updates Montana's right-of-way laws to explicitly include broadband lines and natural gas pipelines alongside existing utilities like telephone, electric, and telegraph lines. It authorizes companies and public bodies to install and maintain these infrastructure systems along public roads, streets, and highways by constructing necessary fixtures such as posts and piers. The legislation requires that all installations must not inconvenience or endanger the public while using these roads, and it clarifies that this law does not limit the authority of city or town councils to regulate such installations.
This bill creates a new Technology Interim Committee to oversee Montana's state information technology systems and review related legislation. The committee would examine long-term technology spending, evaluate how new laws apply to technology across state agencies, and monitor best practices to protect citizens' digital information. It also requires agencies to prepare detailed summaries of major technology purchases and budget requests before they are approved. The bill amends existing laws to formally establish this committee and update the list of interim committees that operate when the legislature is not in session.
SB 6 establishes specific priorities for Montana's criminal justice data warehouse project, requiring the Board of Crime Control to coordinate with the Criminal Justice Oversight Council on data collection and system improvements. Key provisions include creating a unique identifier to link data across state/local agencies while protecting privacy, acquiring software for record management, expanding local data sharing, and documenting processes by September 2026. The bill directly affects state agencies (like the Department of Justice and judiciary), local criminal justice entities, and tribal/federal partners by mandating data contributions and collaboration. It appropriates $480,000 for software, $504,243 for staff positions, and $500,000 for judiciary data contributions, with all funds allocated for the 2025-2026 biennium.
HB 364 proposes to update laws concerning student immunizations and exemptions in K-12 schools. It would require school governing authorities to submit written reports on student immunization and exemption data to state and local health departments. These reports must only contain deidentified or aggregate information, ensuring student privacy. The Department of Public Health and Human Services would determine the specific form and schedule for these reports.
Based on the provided information, Bill LC 342 was intended to generally revise laws related to DNA privacy. However, the specific provisions, mechanisms, or direct impacts of the bill are not detailed in the available context, as the draft died in process and did not become law.
HB 510, a withdrawn 2025 Montana bill, aimed to modernize Medicaid services for clients by requiring the Department of Public Health and Human Services to: (1) accept online/phone applications and electronic documents, (2) use plain language and translate materials into Montana's five most common languages, (3) provide mobile-friendly technology for client access, (4) offer hotline callback options with wait times, and (5) submit quarterly service reports to legislators. It also mandated reopening 10 public assistance offices by 2026 based on client demand and disenrollment data, with $3 million annually allocated for implementation. The bill directly affected Montana Medicaid clients, providers, and county offices by streamlining enrollment, reducing administrative errors, and improving accessibility. It was introduced on February 14, 2025, but withdrawn just days later under House Rule H30-50(3)(b).
LC 356 was a legislative draft that proposed a constitutional referendum. This referendum would have allowed citizens to vote on an amendment to the existing privacy clause within the state's constitution. If passed, such an amendment could have altered the constitutional rights related to privacy for all citizens. However, this draft bill died in the legislative process and was never enacted or put to a public vote.
Tags
Civil Liberties
SB 432 revises Montana's utility relocation laws by clarifying definitions related to infrastructure moving costs and expanding the scope of covered services. It specifically defines "cost of relocation" to exclude engineering expenses and broadens "utility" to include water/sewer systems, cable providers, and broadband services. This bill directly affects utilities needing to relocate infrastructure (like pipes or poles) for highway projects, ensuring clearer cost calculations and broader service coverage under state law.
SB 494 would require Montana election administrators to test new voting systems for functionality before use and after major changes like upgrades or hardware transfers. It mandates that administrators print, examine, and retain voting system audit logs and vote records for 22 months, with certain logs required to be kept permanently as public records. The bill also specifies that counties using vote-counting machines must retain these audit logs in perpetuity for public access. These changes aim to improve election transparency and verification by standardizing how voting system data is documented and preserved.
Tags
Elections
This bill (LC 3811) titled "Prohibiting the sale of public information" was drafted but never advanced beyond the initial stages. It died in process on May 23, 2025, meaning it was never debated or voted on by the legislature. The bill's title suggests it aimed to prevent government entities or others from selling public records or data, but no specific provisions or affected parties were detailed in the context. As a draft that failed to move forward, no concrete policy changes were established.
