Authorize transfers and other necessary measures to implement HB2 Section D
HB 913 increases the number of district court judges in the 13th judicial district from eight to ten, directly affecting the judicial system and residents of that area. It also revises legal representation in child abuse and neglect cases, clarifying the appointment of counsel for parents, children, and other parties, including conditions for putative fathers. The bill mandates an interim study on state offender re-entry services and another on consolidating legal services across state agencies. Additionally, it requires the Department of Corrections to report on efforts to reduce inappropriate communications to and from inmates at the Montana State Prison.
Bill statussignedall 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Mar 28, 2025Signed May 19, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 15 comparisons
What changed between versions
HB0913_4(14).pdf→HB0913_X(11).pdf·5 edits
MODERATE
This bill updates the number of district court judges in Montana, requiring more judges in several districts to handle caseloads. It also mandates a report on reducing inappropriate inmate communications at the state prison and establishes a new study on consolidating legal services across state agencies to address pay disparities. Finally, it amends laws governing detention center costs, clarifying that the state must pay for defendants' confinement after sentencing.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of judicial oversight by increasing the number of judges in specific districts and broadens the scope of state agency operations by requiring a study on legal service consolidation.
REQUIREMENT
Increased the number of district court judges in the 2nd, 7th, 16th, 20th, 21st, 1st, 8th, 18th, 4th, 11th, and 13th judicial districts.
Required the Department of Corrections to report on methods to reduce inappropriate inmate communications and provide quarterly data on electronic messaging and scanning effectiveness.
Established a study by the General Government Interim Budget Committee to analyze consolidating legal services across state agencies and fixing wage discrepancies for legal professionals.
FISCAL
Clarified that the state must pay actual costs for detaining defendants after sentencing, defining 'actual costs' as the greater of a specific daily rate or $85.30 per day.
TIMELINE
Set specific deadlines for reporting on inmate communications and completing the legal services study by September 15, 2026.
HB0913_X(10).pdf→HB0913_4(14).pdf·4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was renumbered from HB 913 to HB 913.4 and significantly reorganized its content. A new section was added to mandate a study on offender re-entry services by the Criminal Justice Oversight Council, replacing a previous provision about legal service consolidation. Additionally, the section regarding detention center costs was amended to clarify payment responsibilities and update the effective date for legal representation changes.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include a new requirement for studying offender re-entry services, while the legal services consolidation study was moved to a later section with a revised deadline.
REQUIREMENT
Added a new requirement for the Criminal Justice Oversight Council to study offender re-entry services, including costs, successful programs in other states, and impacts on recidivism.
Amended the detention center cost section to clarify that counties must pay for specific inmate transfers and updated the definition of 'actual costs' for detention facilities.
TIMELINE
Changed the deadline for the legal services consolidation study from September 15, 2026, to June 30, 2026, and updated the reporting deadline for the re-entry study to September 15, 2026.
TECHNICAL
Reorganized the bill structure, renumbered sections, and corrected formatting errors in the text.
HB0913_X(6).pdf→HB0913_X(7).pdf·5 edits
MODERATE
The bill was updated to reflect its final enrolled version, clarifying the title to focus on prison communications, legal service consolidation, and detention costs. It added specific definitions for prohibited inmate communications, set a new deadline for the legal services study, and established a fixed daily rate for detention center payments.
Scope change
The bill's scope was clarified to explicitly include a study on consolidating legal services and defined specific payment responsibilities for detention centers.
TITLE
The bill title was revised to streamline the description of studies on prison communications, legal services, and detention rates.
DEFINITION
A new definition was added to explicitly list victim information, drug trafficking, and illegal activities as examples of inappropriate inmate communications.
TIMELINE
The deadline for completing the legal services consolidation study was changed from June 30, 2026, to September 15, 2026.
FISCAL
A specific daily payment rate of $85.30 was established for local governments and state agencies using detention centers.
REQUIREMENT
The bill now requires the department of corrections to pay actual costs for defendants after sentencing, shifting responsibility from arresting agencies for post-sentence confinement.
HB0913_4(13).pdf→HB0913_X.pdf·4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was renumbered and its title expanded to include new studies on prison communications and legal service consolidation. The core change involves replacing a study on offender re-entry services with a new mandate to study legal service consolidation and wage discrepancies, while also adding a requirement to report on inappropriate inmate communications at the state prison.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include the Montana State Prison and legal service consolidation across state agencies, replacing the previous focus solely on offender re-entry services.
REQUIREMENT
The study on offender re-entry services was replaced with a new requirement to study the consolidation of legal services across state agencies and discrepancies in legal occupation compensation.
A new requirement was added for the Department of Corrections to report on methods to reduce inappropriate or illicit communications between inmates and the outside world.
TIMELINE
The deadline for the legal services consolidation study was set to September 15, 2026, with an interim report due by June 30, 2026.
TECHNICAL
Minor formatting changes were made to the bill header, section numbering, and the text of Section 3-5-102 regarding the number of judges in various districts.
HB0913_4(5).pdf→HB0913_4(6).pdf·2 edits
MINOR
The bill adds a requirement for the general government interim budget committee to study the consolidation of legal services during the 69th legislative session. Additionally, the bill renumbers its sections, shifting the content regarding the right to counsel from Section 5 to Section 4.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding the right to counsel remains substantively unchanged, but the internal structure of the bill has been altered by renumbering sections.
REQUIREMENT
Mandates a study on consolidating legal services for the interim following the 69th legislative session.
TECHNICAL
Reordered the bill's sections, moving the right to counsel provision from Section 5 to Section 4.
HB0913_4(4).pdf→HB0913_4(5).pdf·4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was significantly rewritten to replace a study on offender re-entry services with a new study on consolidating legal services across state agencies. The new version shifts the responsibility from the Criminal Justice Oversight Council to the General Government Interim Budget Committee and adds a specific requirement for the Department of Administration to report on lawyer pay rates and propose a consolidated fee structure.
Scope change
The scope changed from focusing on offender re-entry and recidivism to focusing on the consolidation of legal services, pay rate discrepancies, and organizational structure within state agencies.
SCOPE
The primary subject of the study changed from 'offender re-entry services' to 'consolidation of legal services across state agencies'.
REQUIREMENT
New requirements were added for the Department of Administration to report on hourly wage distributions, compare state pay to private sector rates, and propose a fee structure to cover consolidated costs.
The requirement to invite specific committee members to participate in the study was removed.
TIMELINE
The deadline for the initial report was changed from September 15, 2026, to September 15, 2025.
HB0913_4.pdf→HB0913_4(1).pdf·4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was restructured to replace two separate studies with two distinct ones. The first study, assigned to the Criminal Justice Oversight Council, focuses on offender re-entry services and their impact on recidivism. The second study, assigned to the General Government Interim Budget Committee, focuses on consolidating legal services across state agencies and standardizing pay rates for legal occupations. Both studies have specific deadlines for reporting and proposing solutions.
Scope change
The bill's scope shifted from a single study on legal services to two separate studies addressing offender re-entry and legal service consolidation, each with a different oversight committee.
REQUIREMENT
The study topic was changed from consolidating legal services to studying offender re-entry services, including costs, benefits, and recidivism impacts.
A new study was added to the bill regarding the consolidation of legal services and pay rate discrepancies across state agencies.
The committee responsible for the legal services study was changed from the Criminal Justice Oversight Council to the General Government Interim Budget Committee.
TIMELINE
Deadlines for reporting and completing the studies were set to September 15, 2026, and June 30, 2026, respectively.
HB0913_3(13).pdf→HB0913_4.pdf·3 edits
MINOR
The bill text was renumbered from HB 913.3 to HB 913.4, and the title was updated to include a new requirement for establishing a daily rate for detention centers. While the core study mandates for offender re-entry and legal services consolidation remain largely intact, the document structure has shifted, moving the legal services study to a new section and adding a specific financial reporting requirement for detention centers that was not present in the previous version.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly require the establishment of a daily rate for detention centers, and the internal organization of the studies was restructured.
TECHNICAL
The bill number was updated from HB 913.3 to HB 913.4, and the title was revised to add a requirement for setting a daily rate for detention centers.
REQUIREMENT
A new requirement was added to the bill title and text to establish a daily rate for detention centers, indicating a shift in how detention costs are managed or reported.
The section numbering and order of the studies were reorganized; the legal services consolidation study was moved to a new section, and the text was adjusted to reflect the new bill number.
HB0913_3(4).pdf→HB0913_3(5).pdf·2 edits
MINOR
The bill underwent minor formatting adjustments where a space was added after the section number in two consecutive paragraphs. These changes do not alter the substantive policy, scope, or requirements of the legislation.
TECHNICAL
Added a space after the section number '(4)' in the text regarding the study completion deadline.
Added a space after the section number '(5)' in the text regarding the invitation of committee members.
HB0913_3(3).pdf→HB0913_3(4).pdf·4 edits
MODERATE
The bill renumbered its sections and removed a requirement for the Department of Administration to submit a legal services consolidation proposal by June 30, 2026. Consequently, the deadline for the General Government Interim Budget Committee to complete its study and report findings was moved from September 15, 2026, to an unspecified date, while the list of committees to be invited to meetings was slightly adjusted.
TIMELINE
Eliminated the specific requirement for the Department of Administration to provide a legal services consolidation proposal by June 30, 2026.
Removed the fixed September 15, 2026, deadline for the General Government Interim Budget Committee to complete its study and report findings.
REQUIREMENT
Adjusted the list of committees invited to participate in the budget committee's meetings by removing the 'judicial branch, law enforcement, and justice interim budget committee' from the invitation list.
TECHNICAL
Reordered and renumbered sections of the bill, shifting the legal services consolidation requirements from Section 4 to Section 3.
HB0913_2(7).pdf→HB0913_3.pdf·1 edit
MINOR
The bill text was updated from version 2 to version 3, primarily changing the bill number and reformatting the section headers. The substantive policy content regarding judicial staffing, prison communication reporting, and legal services studies remains identical, with no changes to funding, dates, or eligibility criteria.
TECHNICAL
Updated the bill identifier from HB0913.2 to HB0913.3 and adjusted line breaks in section titles.
HB0913_1(2).pdf→HB0913_2(1).pdf·4 edits
MODERATE
The bill primarily updates the bill number and formatting, while significantly expanding the scope of a new criminal justice oversight council. This council replaces the previous 'law and justice interim committee' to study offender re-entry services, ensuring broader representation from law enforcement and the judicial branch. Additionally, the bill mandates a study on consolidating legal services across state agencies to address pay disparities and improve organizational efficiency.
Scope change
The scope of the oversight body was expanded from a single committee to a council with broader representation, and a new study on legal service consolidation was added.
REQUIREMENT
Replaced the 'law and justice interim committee' with the 'criminal justice oversight council' to study offender re-entry services.
Added a new requirement to study the consolidation of legal services and pay rates across state agencies.
Updated the study on offender re-entry to include broader participation from law enforcement and the judicial branch.
TECHNICAL
Updated the bill number and header formatting from HB 913.1 to HB0913.2.
HB0913_2.pdf→HB0913_1(2).pdf·4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was renumbered from HB 913.2 to HB 913.1 and had several substantive changes. The committee studying offender re-entry services was renamed from the Criminal Justice Oversight Council to the Law and Justice Interim Committee. The timeline for the legal services consolidation study was shortened, requiring a preliminary report by September 2025 instead of June 2026. Additionally, the requirement to invite specific committee members to meetings was removed.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on legislative studies regarding re-entry services and legal services consolidation, but the specific committees responsible and the deadlines for reporting have been altered.
REQUIREMENT
The committee studying offender re-entry services was renamed from the Criminal Justice Oversight Council to the Law and Justice Interim Committee.
The requirement for the legal services study committee to invite members of other committees to meetings was removed.
TIMELINE
The deadline for the initial legal services compensation report was moved from June 30, 2026, to September 15, 2025.
TECHNICAL
The bill number was changed from HB 913.2 to HB 913.1.
HB0913_1(1).pdf→HB0913_2.pdf·3 edits
MINOR
The bill primarily undergoes formatting adjustments to the header and page numbering. Substantively, the committee responsible for studying offender re-entry services is renamed from the 'law and justice interim committee' to the 'criminal justice oversight council,' aligning with a specific existing statute. The study on legal services consolidation remains unchanged in its requirements and timeline.
Scope change
The scope of the offender re-entry study was modified to be conducted by a different committee (the Criminal Justice Oversight Council) rather than the previous Law and Justice Interim Committee.
REQUIREMENT
The committee tasked with studying offender re-entry services was changed from the 'law and justice interim committee' to the 'criminal justice oversight council'.
TECHNICAL
The header text was updated to reflect the new bill number format (HB0913.2) and adjusted page numbering indicators.
Minor text reordering and spacing changes were made throughout the document, particularly in the section regarding legal services consolidation.
LC4220.pdf→HB0913_1.pdf·4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was renumbered from LC 4220 to HB 913 and updated to reflect the 69th Legislature for 2025. The text includes minor formatting adjustments and the addition of a specific sponsor name, F. Nave, while retaining the core legislative content regarding inappropriate communications and state agency occupations.
TECHNICAL
Bill number changed from LC 4220 to HB 913.1
Legislative session year updated to 69th Legislature 2025
Primary sponsor name added as F. Nave
Header text updated to indicate this is the Authorized Print Version
