SB 360 Montana Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Revise election laws related to definitions

SB 360 revises election laws by updating and reordering several definitions within the state's legal code, primarily in Section 13-1-101. The bill renumbers existing definitions related to elections, such as "active elector" and "anything of value." Consequently, it updates a cross-reference in Section 2-2-121, which outlines rules of conduct for public officers and employees regarding the use of state funds by candidates. This ensures that the rules for public officers and candidates correctly point to the newly renumbered definition of "candidate."
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Feb 19, 2025 Signed May 8, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

SB0360_1(4).pdf SB0360_X.pdf · 7 edits
MODERATE
The bill updates Montana's election laws and ethics rules, renumbering several definitions to clarify the status of voters and the nature of campaign materials. It also removes a specific exception that previously allowed public officials to list products created outside of work in agency directories, thereby tightening restrictions on the use of public resources for personal items.
Scope change
The scope of the bill remains focused on election administration and public employee conduct, but the specific rules regarding voter registration definitions and public employee directory listings have been modified.
DEFINITION

Renumbered definitions in the election laws to shift from a 1-9 sequence to a 1-10 sequence, likely to accommodate future additions or clarify existing terms.

Changed the definition of 'Active elector' to explicitly exclude individuals who have failed to respond to confirmation notices, ensuring only engaged voters remain on active lists.

Renumbered the definition of 'Active list' to align with the new numbering scheme for elector status.

Renumbered the definition of 'Anything of value' to reflect the updated sequence of terms.

Renumbered the definition of 'Application for voter registration' to match the new sequence.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted a provision that allowed public officers or employees to list products created outside of work in agency electronic directories, removing an exception to the rule against using public resources for personal items.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill header and formatting to reflect its status as an enrolled bill with an immediate effective date.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 6, 2025 · House Apr 11, 2025

How they voted

500
Passed
Total votes 50
Mar 6, 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
37
Key actions
9
Committee
6
May 5, 2025
Signed into law
(S) Signed by Governor
upper
Apr 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Signed by Speaker
lower
Apr 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Signed by President
upper
Apr 11, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (99-0-1)
house
Mar 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) State Administration
lower
Mar 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) State Administration
lower
Mar 7, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) State Administration
lower
Mar 6, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (50-0)
senate
Mar 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) State Administration
upper
Mar 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) State Administration
upper
Feb 21, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) State Administration
upper
Feb 19, 2025
Introduced
(S) Introduced
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Shelley Vance
Shelley Vance
RRepublican
MT
34