SB 249 Montana Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Revise child abuse and neglect laws involving adjudication

SB 249 revises Montana's child abuse and neglect laws, specifically impacting the court's adjudication process. It requires courts to hear additional evidence from individuals who have been caring for a child, beyond just the child's parents. This evidence will detail the extent and continuity of care provided by these individuals and the circumstances surrounding the child's placement with them. The aim is to provide courts with more comprehensive information when determining if a child is a youth in need of care, particularly when child abandonment is alleged.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Apr 2025

House Passage

Apr 2025

Signed into Law

Apr 2025

Introduced Jan 31, 2025 Signed Apr 17, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

SB0249_1(5).pdf → SB0249_X.pdf · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill amends child abuse and neglect laws to require courts to hear evidence from individuals caring for a child during adjudication hearings. It clarifies the court's duty to evaluate care provided by non-parents and adds specific criteria for assessing abandonment cases, including the continuity of care offered by caregivers.

Scope change

The scope of the hearing process was expanded to explicitly include testimony from caregivers, ensuring their role in the child's life is formally considered by the court.

REQUIREMENT

Courts must now hear evidence from individuals caring for the child to assess the extent of care, nurturance, and support provided.

In abandonment cases, courts must evaluate the intent of parents, the continuity of care offered by others, and circumstances of placement.

TIMELINE

The effective date for the new adjudication requirements is set for July 1, 2025.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 21, 2025 · House Mar 28, 2025

How they voted

50–0

Passed

Total votes 50

Feb 21, 2025

D Democratic18

18 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican32

32 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 16, 2025

Signed into law

(S) Signed by Governor

upper

Apr 8, 2025

Lower · Passed

(H) Signed by Speaker

lower

Apr 2, 2025

Upper · Passed

(S) Signed by President

upper

Mar 28, 2025

House · Passed

House Vote: pass (61-38-1)

house

Mar 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

(H) Committee Report - (H) Human Services

lower

Mar 18, 2025

Lower · Passed

(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Human Services

lower

Feb 22, 2025

Committee

(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Human Services

lower

Feb 21, 2025

Senate · Passed

Senate Vote: pass (50-0)

senate

Feb 15, 2025

Upper · Passed

(S) Committee Report - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety

upper

Feb 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety

upper

Feb 5, 2025

Committee

(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety

upper

Jan 31, 2025

Introduced

(S) Introduced

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors