# Montana HB 128: Protect volunteer emergency service providers from termination

Montana HB 128, Protect volunteer emergency service providers from termination, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Llew Jones (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-04-17 (Chapter Number Assigned); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB128-2025
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Montana HB 128
- State: Montana
- Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025)
- Title: Protect volunteer emergency service providers from termination
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-01-07
- Last action: 2025-04-17, Chapter Number Assigned
- Sponsor: Llew Jones (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Emergency Services, Fires and Fire Protection, Labor and Employment, Courts
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 4 (264 yes, 34 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 3

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Job protection for volunteer responders: benefit, low. The law protects workers who volunteer as emergency responders from being fired for serving or for joining a volunteer unit, after they finish probation. After you give the required written notice, your employer cannot fire you for being absent or late while you respond to an emergency as a volunte…
- No regular pay for volunteer time: cost, low. You do not receive regular pay for time you miss or are late because you responded as a volunteer. If you were paid for that time, your employer can deduct that amount.
- Notice and permission rules for responders: mixed, low. Give your employer written notice that you volunteer within 30 days of the law’s effective date, within 30 days after you join, or within 30 days of hire. If a call may make you absent or late, tell your employer as soon as you can. If your absence would imperil public safety or stop an essential f…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Llew Jones (Republican), House
- Cosponsor: Gregg Hunter (Republican), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-01 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 35 | 15 |   |
| 2025-03-31 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 36 | 14 |   |
| 2025-02-03 | House | Do Pass | pass | 97 | 2 |   |
| 2025-01-31 | House | Do Pass | pass | 96 | 3 |   |

## Actions (23)

- 2025-04-17: Chapter Number Assigned (House)
- 2025-04-16: Signed by Governor (House)
- 2025-04-09: Transmitted to Governor (House)
- 2025-04-09: Signed by President (Senate)
- 2025-04-07: Signed by Speaker (House)
- 2025-04-02: Returned from Enrolling (House)
- 2025-04-01: Sent to Enrolling (House)
- 2025-04-01: 3rd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-03-31: 2nd Reading (Senate)
- 2025-03-26: Committee Report (Senate)
- 2025-03-26: Committee Executive Action (Senate)
- 2025-02-21: Hearing (Senate)
- 2025-02-18: Referred to Committee (Senate)
- 2025-02-04: 1st Reading (Senate)
- 2025-02-03: Transmitted to Senate (House)
- 2025-02-03: 3rd Reading (House)
- 2025-01-31: 2nd Reading (House)
- 2025-01-28: Committee Report (House)
- 2025-01-28: Committee Executive Action (House)
- 2025-01-10: Hearing (House)
- 2025-01-08: 1st Reading (House)
- 2025-01-08: Referred to Committee (House)
- 2025-01-07: Introduced (House)

## Bill text

- Enrolled, 2025-04-02: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=c6d09d9f-be46-4ff6-9062-f5757c31558c)
- As Amended (Version 2), 2025-01-29: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=904a7fe1-3de7-474b-b664-3f7b16d169b1)
- Introduced, 2025-01-07: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=8008b2f8-638a-4ef3-b337-37c2e03ca03c)

## Related bills

- SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law (signed)
- HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit (vetoed)
- HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws (vetoed)
- SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act (vetoed)
- SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer (vetoed)
- SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program (vetoed)

## Sources
- [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=c6d09d9f-be46-4ff6-9062-f5757c31558c)
- [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=904a7fe1-3de7-474b-b664-3f7b16d169b1)
- [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=8008b2f8-638a-4ef3-b337-37c2e03ca03c)

## Related
- [SB 437: Revise definition of sex in Montana law](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB437-2025)
- [HB 831: Increase elderly homeowner and renter income tax credit](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB831-2025)
- [HB 628: Revise early literacy targeted intervention laws](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB628-2025)
- [SB 410: Provide for Montana genomic security act](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB410-2025)
- [SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB422-2025)
- [SB 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB424-2025)
- [Montana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana/bills)
- [Montana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/montana)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB128-2025 (as of 2026-10-12).