# Montana HB 393: Require towns to record meetings in audio format Montana HB 393, Require towns to record meetings in audio format, is a 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) House bill sponsored by Brad Barker (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-05 (Chapter Number Assigned) (as of 2026-10-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MT-HB393-2025 - 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 393 - State: Montana - Session: 69th Legislature, Regular Session (2025) - Title: Require towns to record meetings in audio format - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-02-05 - Last action: 2025-05-05, Chapter Number Assigned - Sponsor: Brad Barker (Republican) - Cosponsors: 1 - Subjects: Cities and Towns, Counties, Local Government - Touches household money: no - Roll calls: 4 (208 yes, 89 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 7 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Local boards post videos in 5 days: benefit, low. County, city, school district, and local health boards must record meetings in audio and video. They must post the recording with a link on the board’s website within 5 business days. If a board has no website, it must keep a social media page and post the link there. The rules apply only to proper… - Small towns can post audio only: benefit, low. Very small jurisdictions have simpler rules. Counties with fewer than 4,500 people and third‑class cities or towns over 300 people may record meetings in audio only. They must post the audio with a link on the board’s website within 14 business days. This applies only to properly noticed public mee… - State boards post videos in 1 day: benefit, low. Certain state boards must record public meetings in audio and video. They must post the recording within 1 business day. They use the state broadcast service or the board’s website. This applies only to properly noticed public meetings on matters within the board’s authority. - Schools can fund recording costs: benefit, low. School districts can treat meeting‑recording costs as a school facility project. This covers staff, consultants, equipment, software, storage, and security needed to meet the recording rules. This helps districts budget and pay for compliance under existing facility funding rules. - Local recordings kept online one year: cost, low. For many local boards that keep minutes, meeting recordings are not the official record. If a recording is not the official record, the board keeps it online for one year and may then delete it. Those recordings are not covered by public‑information request rules. - Narrow exception for incidental quorum: cost, low. When a quorum happens only because members share the same office space, the board does not have to record. This narrow exception follows 7‑5‑2122(4) and (5). - If tech fails, notice required: mixed, low. Boards do not have to delay or reschedule a meeting if recording or posting fails because of a tech problem. They must clearly post a notice where recordings are usually posted. The notice must explain why there is no recording and what will be done to fix it before the next meeting. ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Brad Barker (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Gayle Lammers (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2025-04-14 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 37 | 11 | | | 2025-04-12 | Senate | Do Concur | pass | 36 | 14 | | | 2025-02-24 | House | Do Pass | pass | 69 | 30 | | | 2025-02-22 | House | Do Pass | pass | 66 | 34 | | ## Actions (28) - 2025-05-05: Chapter Number Assigned (House) - 2025-05-01: Signed by Governor (House) - 2025-04-25: Transmitted to Governor (House) - 2025-04-25: Signed by President (Senate) - 2025-04-23: Signed by Speaker (House) - 2025-04-16: Returned from Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-14: Sent to Enrolling (House) - 2025-04-14: 3rd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-12: 2nd Reading (Senate) - 2025-04-11: 2nd Reading Pass Consideration (Senate) - 2025-04-01: Committee Report (Senate) - 2025-03-31: Committee Executive Action (Senate) - 2025-03-16: Hearing (Senate) - 2025-03-03: Referred to Committee (Senate) - 2025-02-27: Fiscal Note Printed (House) - 2025-02-26: Fiscal Note Signed (House) - 2025-02-26: Fiscal Note Received (House) - 2025-02-25: 1st Reading (Senate) - 2025-02-24: Transmitted to Senate (House) - 2025-02-24: 3rd Reading (House) - 2025-02-22: 2nd Reading (House) - 2025-02-21: Fiscal Note Requested (House) - 2025-02-19: Committee Report (House) - 2025-02-18: Committee Executive Action (House) - 2025-02-10: Hearing (House) - 2025-02-06: 1st Reading (House) - 2025-02-06: Referred to Committee (House) - 2025-02-05: Introduced (House) ## Bill text - Enrolled, 2025-04-16: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=3c920289-227b-475d-91cf-e358db56a861) - As Amended (Version 2), 2025-02-19: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=bc2a0aa1-ec0d-4b29-8471-0e2425b94206) - Introduced, 2025-02-05: [PDF](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=cec9ab65-4b5c-4dc5-9914-80125f47e5e2) ## 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 - [Enrolled (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=3c920289-227b-475d-91cf-e358db56a861) - [As Amended (Version 2) (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=bc2a0aa1-ec0d-4b29-8471-0e2425b94206) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://docs.legmt.gov/download-ticket?ticketId=cec9ab65-4b5c-4dc5-9914-80125f47e5e2) ## 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-HB393-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).