Criminal Justice

signed · Montana · House May 19, 2025

HB 117: Establish criminal justice data warehouse priorities

HB 117 establishes project priorities for the state's criminal justice data warehouse, affecting the Board of Crime Control, the Criminal Justice Oversight Council, and various state and local criminal justice agencies. It directs the Board of Crime Control to focus on tasks like creating unique identifiers to link data across agencies, acquiring specialized software for data management, and integrating more local criminal justice data. The bill also mandates regular reporting on progress to legislative committees and appropriates over $1.4 million in general funds for software, staff positions, and judicial data contributions.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill establishes data integration priorities for criminal justice agencies, enabling better oversight and data-driven reforms per Criminal Procedure subject focus.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Montana · Senate May 16, 2025

SB 393: Provide funding for enforcement of PL 280

SB 393 appropriates $6 million from the state's general fund for the biennium starting July 1, 2025, to reimburse expenditures related to felony criminal jurisdiction on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The funding is distributed to Lake County and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Initial funds are contingent upon Lake County rescinding its resolution to withdraw from Public Law 280. Further distributions require an agreement between the state, Lake County, and the Tribes addressing cost-sharing for Public Law 280 implementation within Lake County, and Lake County's ability to withdraw consent for jurisdiction is restricted until at least June 2027.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAppropriates $6M from general fund for law enforcement reimbursement under PL 280, directly funding state program via budget allocation.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill allocates $6M to reimburse felony criminal jurisdiction enforcement under PL 280, directly funding law enforcement operations on tribal reservations.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Montana · House May 16, 2025

HB 140: Provide property tax assistance for law enforcement and firefighters injured in the line of duty

House Bill 140 establishes a property tax assistance program for certain first responders and their surviving spouses. It provides a reduction in residential property taxes for law enforcement officers and firefighters who were injured in the line of duty. Unmarried surviving spouses of first responders killed in the line of duty are also eligible for this assistance. The amount of the tax reduction is determined by the applicant's income, with lower incomes receiving a greater benefit. Eligibility requires the property to be the primary residence and the first responder to meet specific criteria related to their line-of-duty injury or death.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesProvides property tax reduction for first responders and spouses, with greater benefit for lower incomes, aligning with tax relief for middle/lower income.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeProvides property tax relief for law enforcement officers injured in duty, directly supporting personnel welfare within criminal justice system.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Montana · Senate May 16, 2025

SB 348: Revise laws on sexual assault

SB 348 revises laws related to sexual assault, primarily by increasing penalties for offenders. The bill raises the maximum fines and imprisonment terms for first, second, and third or subsequent convictions of sexual assault. A key provision mandates that individuals convicted of a second sexual assault offense must register as a sexual offender. These changes directly affect individuals convicted of sexual assault by strengthening legal consequences for the crime.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases penalties, mandates registration for second offenses, expanding criminalization and harsher sentencing per bill's explicit language.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Montana · Senate May 16, 2025

SB 413: Criminalize disclosure of certain explicit AI-generated media

Senate Bill 413 creates the crime of "disclosing explicit synthetic media," also known as deepfakes, directly affecting individuals who create or share AI-generated content and protecting those falsely depicted. The bill makes it an offense to knowingly share synthetic media portraying an identifiable person engaged in sexual conduct or depicting intimate body parts without their consent, if it would cause substantial emotional distress. It also criminalizes disclosing such media with intent to harass or threaten, or possessing and threatening to disclose it for extortion. Penalties include fines and jail time, with increased penalties for repeat offenses or if the depicted person is under 18, though exceptions exist for reporting crimes, research, or legal proceedings.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new criminal offense for non-consensual deepfake disclosure, expanding criminalization under Crimes/Criminal Procedure subjects95% confidence ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyCriminalizes non-consensual deepfake sharing, restricting AI media use to prevent harm without advancing tech innovation or privacy protections.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Montana · House May 15, 2025

HB 396: Generally revise bail laws

HB 396 revises existing laws concerning bail for arrested individuals. It requires that a person must appear before a judge in a court of record before being admitted to bail, and it clarifies that interstate agreements apply in certain situations. The bill expands the criteria courts must consider when deciding whether to release or detain a defendant, adding factors like the defendant's history of absconding and the costs incurred by a government to transport them. Furthermore, it revises the factors for determining the amount of bail, including ensuring protection from bodily injury and considering a defendant's prior abscondence history.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands detention criteria (absconding history, transport costs), potentially restricting pretrial release and defendant rights per indicators.75% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Montana · House May 13, 2025

HB 582: Generally revise criminal law

HB 582 revises laws related to criminal sentencing in Montana. It allows district courts to deny credit for elapsed time in certain revocation proceedings involving multiple violations. The bill also clarifies that offenders are eligible for credit for time served before sentencing, provided the custody is attributable to proceedings for the same conduct for which they were convicted. Additionally, it adjusts the maximum periods for suspended sentences and community supervision for various felony offenses, including specific limits for sexual, violent, and drug offenders. These changes affect individuals convicted of crimes and the judicial process for imposing sentences.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeAllows courts to deny credit for time in revocation proceedings for multiple violations, potentially lengthening sentences and restricting defendant rights.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Montana · Senate May 13, 2025

SB 296: Enhance penalty for crime against vulnerable person

SB 296, known as "Alan's Law," establishes an enhanced penalty for individuals who commit offenses against vulnerable persons while employed or volunteering in a caregiving facility. If found guilty of a misdemeanor or felony offense, offenders face an additional prison sentence of 1 to 10 years. This additional sentence runs consecutively to the original punishment and generally cannot be deferred or suspended. The bill defines "caregiving facilities" broadly to include various health, youth, and educational settings, and "vulnerable persons" as children, vulnerable adults, or incapacitated individuals.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill increases mandatory consecutive sentences for crimes against vulnerable persons, expanding criminal penalties without rehabilitation focus, aligning with 'increases mandatory sentences' indicator.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Montana · House May 8, 2025

HB 572: Revise MCE prison industries training program laws

HB 572 revises the Montana Correctional Enterprises (MCE) prison industries training program, which affects inmates and the operation of correctional facilities. The bill requires the program to include educational programming and allows MCE to offer vocational programs that support private market demand. It also increases the maximum value of construction projects inmates can perform to $1 million and removes the requirement for MCE to provide products and services through contracts and dealer networks.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeAdds educational/vocational training to reduce recidivism and improve inmate rehabilitation within correctional facilities.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Montana · Senate May 8, 2025

SB 217: Establish work time credit for probationers and parolees

SB 217 establishes a system for probationers and parolees to reduce their supervision period by earning "work time credit." Individuals can earn 1 day of credit for every 40-hour workweek of eligible employment, provided they comply with all supervision conditions and are current on court-ordered payments. Probationers and parolees must provide documentation of their employment for verification by their supervising officer. However, any awarded credit can be revoked if the individual violates a supervision condition or is charged with a new felony or serious misdemeanor offense. This credit system does not apply to individuals under lifetime supervision or those required to register as sexual or violent offenders.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeReduces supervision time via work credits, promoting rehabilitation and reducing recidivism - key criminal justice reform indicators.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice