Criminal Justice

HB 3 is a funding bill that allocates specific amounts to Montana state agencies for the 2024-2025 fiscal year and continues some funding into the 2025-2026 biennium. It provides $22.2 million to the Public Health and Human Services Division, $12.5 million to the State Public Defender's Conflict Division, $4.07 million to the Montana Highway Patrol, and other sums to agencies like Revenue, Corrections, and Fish and Wildlife. The bill directs these funds for existing agency operations, with unspent balances reverting to their respective funds. It became law immediately upon the governor's signature on April 7, 2025, without requiring additional legislative action. This is a routine budget measure affecting state agency operations, not a policy change impacting citizens.

HB 268 revises Montana's laws for sexual and violent offender registration, primarily affecting individuals convicted of such offenses who must register under state law. The bill requires county attorneys to notify the Attorney General's office when a petition for relief from registration is filed, and it updates registration duration rules: violent offenders automatically qualify for relief after 10 years (unless reconvicted), while level 1 sexual offenders may petition after 10 years and level 2 after 25 years. Courts must consider a clean record (no new convictions, successful treatment/completion of supervision) and public safety before granting relief, and must notify victims before hearings. The changes aim to streamline the relief process while maintaining public safety safeguards.

HB 44 increases penalties for tampering with evidence in homicide investigations. It raises the maximum penalty for tampering that affects a medical examiner’s ability to determine a cause of death from 10 years to 40 years in prison, or a $100,000 fine (up from $50,000). The bill specifically targets individuals who alter, destroy, or fabricate evidence to mislead homicide investigations. This directly affects people who interfere with physical evidence in cases involving death, such as by destroying a weapon or falsifying autopsy records. The law amends Montana’s existing evidence tampering statute to strengthen consequences for crimes impacting homicide resolution.