HB 343: Require schools to provide religious instruction released time program - Montana

HB0343_X(6).pdf → HB0343_X(7).pdf · 2 edits

MINOR

This bill amends the rules for religious instruction in public schools by clarifying that school district trustees have the authority to award academic credit for such courses. The revision removes redundant language that incorrectly suggested trustees were required to authorize the policy, instead granting them the discretion to adopt it if they choose. This change streamlines the legislative text to better reflect the voluntary nature of the policy adoption while maintaining the requirement that students receive at least one hour of instruction per week.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding policy adoption shifts from a mandatory authorization requirement to a discretionary power granted to school district trustees.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the requirement for school district trustees to 'authorize' the policy to a permission to 'adopt' the policy, clarifying that the policy is optional for districts.

TECHNICAL

Removed redundant phrasing ('to may') and unnecessary words ('releasing') to improve the clarity and legal precision of the bill title.

HB0343_X(2).pdf → HB0343_X(3).pdf · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted to improve readability by adjusting indentation and line breaks. No substantive policy changes, legal requirements, or scope modifications were made; the core provisions regarding religious instruction credits and secular evaluation criteria remain identical.

TECHNICAL

Adjusted whitespace and line breaks for formatting clarity without altering any legal text or meaning.

HB0343_2(11).pdf → HB0343_X.pdf · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized and enrolled for signature, adding official certification signatures from the House and Senate. Substantively, the text was cleaned up to remove redundant phrasing (e.g., changing 'may shall' to 'may') and reorganized the structure to clearly mandate that school districts provide at least one hour of weekly religious instruction release time. It also added specific rules requiring any academic credit awarded for such courses to be based on neutral, secular criteria like syllabus review and instructor qualifications, rather than religious content.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on public school districts in Montana, but the requirements for the religious instruction program were clarified and made more explicit regarding the minimum time required and the neutrality of credit evaluation.

REQUIREMENT

Changed redundant phrasing like 'may shall' to 'may' and 'must' to 'shall' to clarify legal obligations.

Added a new subsection explicitly stating that public school property cannot be used for religious instruction.

Added specific secular criteria (syllabus review, assessment methods, instructor qualifications) that must be used to evaluate courses for academic credit.

TIMELINE

Confirmed the effective date of July 1, 2025.

TECHNICAL

Added official enrollment certification signatures and formatting consistent with an enrolled bill.

HB0343_2(3).pdf → HB0343_2(4).pdf · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill includes minor formatting adjustments to line numbers and spacing within the text regarding credit evaluation for religious instruction courses. There are no substantive policy changes, such as new requirements, funding adjustments, or shifts in eligibility criteria.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting changes including line number renumbering and removal of blank lines within the section on academic credit evaluation.

HB0343_1(5).pdf → HB0343_2.pdf · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to clarify that school district trustees have the authority to adopt policies awarding academic credit for religious instruction courses, rather than being strictly required to do so. The changes also ensure that granting such credit does not negatively impact a student's enrollment status, funding calculations, or other financial records. Additionally, the text was reorganized to align the specific requirements for evaluating these courses with the new authority granted to trustees.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from mandating that all districts award credit for religious courses to authorizing districts to choose whether to adopt such policies.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the mandate requiring trustees to award credit to language authorizing trustees to adopt a policy awarding credit.

Added protections ensuring that awarding credit for religious courses does not affect a student's enrollment status or the district's funding calculations.

Reordered the list of secular criteria used to evaluate religious courses to match the new policy adoption language.

LC2657.pdf → HB0343_1.pdf · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill number was changed from LC 2657 to HB 343, and the sponsor list was updated to reflect the current legislative session. The substantive text of the bill regarding religious instruction released time remains identical, with no changes to the program's requirements, credit policies, or effective date.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; only the bill number and sponsor attribution were updated.

TECHNICAL

Bill number changed from LC 2657 to HB 343.

Sponsor list was updated to include current legislators (R. Gregg, E. Albus, etc.).

Require schools to provide religious instruction released time program

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