This bill requires Montana's Department of Revenue to accept state income tax payments in cryptocurrency through third-party payment processors. It mandates that all cryptocurrency payments be converted to U.S. dollars before the state receives the funds, ensuring the government collects value in traditional currency. The legislation clarifies that using cryptocurrency to pay taxes does not trigger state capital gains taxes for the taxpayer. The program would begin applying to income tax years starting after December 31, 2025.
This bill revises Montana's Driver Privacy Protection Act to strengthen privacy safeguards for personal information in motor vehicle records. It requires the Department of Justice to obtain express written consent from individuals before releasing their personal data to third parties and mandates the department maintain a list of all requesters. The legislation also allows individuals harmed by privacy violations to file individual or class action lawsuits seeking punitive damages, costs, and attorney fees. Additionally, it clarifies definitions of personal information and restricts the disclosure of sensitive data like social security numbers to specific authorized purposes such as tax administration and law enforcement.
This bill prohibits businesses and entities from banning or censoring users on free online platforms, which it defines as digital public squares. It requires these platforms to allow users to assemble and express speech without restrictions like shadow banning, algorithmic suppression, or throttling, unless state or federal laws are violated. The law allows platforms to terminate access entirely but forbids them from creating community standards or contracts that restrict user speech or content. Violations could result in users suing for actual and punitive damages, while advertising remains permitted as an exception to the restrictions.
This bill updates Montana laws to protect the privacy of individuals using digital mental health services like mobile apps and websites. It requires these platforms to follow the same confidentiality rules that currently apply to traditional healthcare providers when handling personal health information. The legislation also establishes legal penalties for unauthorized data sharing and allows individuals to seek remedies if their information is improperly disclosed. Additionally, the bill defines what qualifies as a mental health digital service, specifically covering apps or websites that collect mental health data and facilitate related services.
This bill establishes the Child Digital Protection Act in Montana to require content creators who profit from videos featuring their minor children to set aside a portion of earnings in a trust for those children. The law applies when creators earn at least $0.10 per view and at least 30% of their compensated content includes their minor children's likenesses, names, or photographs. When these thresholds are met, the creator must deposit a percentage of gross earnings into a trust that the child can access upon turning 18. The bill also provides minors with the right to request content removal and creates a private right of action for enforcement. This legislation directly affects parents and family members who create monetized video content featuring their children under 18.
This bill requires Montana public libraries to place books and digital resources containing sexual or graphic sexual material only in the young adult or adult sections, regardless of the material's intended reading age. It also allows community members to request that such materials be moved to these restricted sections and mandates that libraries implement age-based content protections for digital resources, permitting children to access age-appropriate digital content only with parental or guardian consent. The legislation amends existing state library laws to enforce these placement standards and gives library boards the duty to maintain collections that match the age appropriateness of each library section.
This bill eliminates individual physical seals for Montana's professional licensing boards and replaces them with a standardized digital authentication system for official documents. It directly affects boards overseeing medicine, optometry, acupuncture, speech-language pathology, audiology, and veterinary medicine by removing redundant seal requirements across multiple statutes. The legislation clarifies board responsibilities, standardizes how licenses are authenticated, and repeals conflicting provisions that created inconsistencies in how different professional boards operated. Changes apply to all applicants for professional licenses and the administrative staff responsible for issuing and managing those licenses.
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Licensing
This bill requires Montana's campaign electronic reporting system to generate a unique web address for every file, report, and search result it maintains. The change directly affects political campaigns, candidates, and the public by making it easier to locate and verify campaign finance information online. The legislation does not alter existing reporting requirements but adds a technical feature to improve data accessibility. It takes effect on July 1, 2025, and applies to all campaign filings processed through the state system.
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Government Transparency
This bill amends Montana's privacy laws to criminalize the possession and threat of disclosure of sexually explicit images, including both real photographs and digitally fabricated content created using artificial intelligence. It directly affects individuals who possess or threaten to share intimate images of identifiable people without consent, as well as platforms and users involved in distributing such material. The law defines "digitally fabricated" as media that realistically misrepresents an individual as engaging in conduct they did not actually participate in, and establishes specific penalties ranging from misdemeanor charges for first offenses to felony convictions for repeat violations. The legislation includes exceptions for law enforcement activities, public interest reporting, and certain artistic or educational uses, while also clarifying that internet service providers are not liable for content created by others.
This bill requires health insurance carriers in Montana to establish and maintain specific application programming interfaces that allow patients and providers to access and exchange electronic health information. It mandates that insurers implement these digital connection points for patient records, provider directories, payer exchanges, and prior authorization processes by the dates set by federal regulations. Additionally, the law prohibits healthcare providers from blocking access to certain critical medical test results, such as cancer diagnoses, genetic markers, HIV status, and hepatitis indicators, requiring these results be shared with patients within 72 hours of finalization. The legislation also includes standard provisions for codification into state law, severability, and an effective date of January 1, 2026, with one section taking effect upon passage.
