# Montana HB 24: Clarify laws related to kindergarten Montana HB 24, Clarify laws related to kindergarten, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Melissa Romano (Democrat); status signed, last action 2025-04-07 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB24-2025 - As of: 2026-10-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Montana HB 24 - State: Montana - Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) - Title: Clarify laws related to kindergarten - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2024-12-06 - Last action: 2025-04-07, Chapter Number Assigned - Sponsor: Melissa Romano (Democrat) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Education - K-12, Education - School Finance - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 4 (268 yes, 30 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 5 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Kindergarten access and parent choice: benefit, low. School trustees must offer a kindergarten program for children who are age 5 by September 10 or admitted by exception. The program must meet at least half-time hours and be part of the elementary school. If full-time kindergarten is offered, parents may choose half-time enrollment. Each year, schoo… - Free preschool allowed, no state aid: cost, low. Districts may run free preschool for ages 3–5. They cannot use state equalization aid to pay for preschool. Preschool students are not counted in ANB for funding. Districts must use other money, which can affect local budgets and availability. - When these school rules start: mixed, low. The law takes effect July 1, 2025. It applies to school fiscal years that start on or after that date. - Minimum school hours and penalties: mixed, low. The law sets minimum yearly class time. Half-time kindergarten must be 360 hours. Full-time kindergarten and grades 1–3 must be 720 hours. Grades 4–12 must be 1,080 hours. Students who show proficiency under state law are exempt from these hour minimums. If a district (outside an unforeseen emergen… - New rules for student funding counts: mixed, low. For funding, a student’s yearly hours set their fraction of full-time: 180–359 hours = 0.25, 360–539 = 0.5, 540–719 = 0.75, 720+ = 1.0. Under 180 hours is not counted unless the pupil meets the proficiency exception. When a new elementary or high school opens or reopens, the county superintendent s… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Melissa Romano (Democrat), House - Cosponsor: Sara Novak (Democrat), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-03-21 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 49 | 1 | | | 2025-03-20 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 49 | 1 | | | 2025-01-21 | House | Do Pass | pass | 79 | 20 | | | 2025-01-20 | House | Do Pass | pass | 91 | 8 | | ## Actions (28) - 2025-04-07: Chapter Number Assigned (House) - 2025-04-07: Signed by Governor (House) - 2025-04-01: Transmitted to Governor (House) - 2025-04-01: Signed by President (Senate) - 2025-03-28: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2025-03-25: Returned from Enrolling (House) - 2025-03-21: Sent to Enrolling (House) - 2025-03-21: 3rd Reading (Senate) - 2025-03-20: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-03-19: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-03-18: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-02-20: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-02-18: Referred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-01-22: 1st Reading (Senate) - 2025-01-21: Transmitted to Senate (House) - 2025-01-21: 3rd Reading (House) - 2025-01-20: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-01-16: Committee Report (House) - 2025-01-16: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-01-15: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-01-09: Fiscal Note Printed (House) - 2025-01-08: Fiscal Note Signed (House) - 2025-01-07: Fiscal Note Received (House) - 2025-01-06: Hearing (House) - 2025-01-06: 1st Reading (House) - 2024-12-20: Referred to Committee (House) - 2024-12-18: Fiscal Note Requested (House) - 2024-12-06: Introduced (House) ## Bill text - As Amended (Version 2), 2025-03-24: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=3e4d62d9-999c-4bce-8f08-148a086ecb9d) - Enrolled, 2025-03-24: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=22cf63d0-6f40-4210-992b-61939a7c9fc0) - Introduced, 2024-12-09: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=21c7f763-8f91-42c5-8f19-8dc2ddd3c4de) ## 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 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program (vetoed) - SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer (vetoed) ## Sources - [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=3e4d62d9-999c-4bce-8f08-148a086ecb9d) - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=22cf63d0-6f40-4210-992b-61939a7c9fc0) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=21c7f763-8f91-42c5-8f19-8dc2ddd3c4de) ## 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 424: Revising the disabled veteran property tax assistance program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB424-2025) - [SB 422: Generally revise laws relating to insurance coverage relating to cancer](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-SB422-2025) - [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-HB24-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).