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MontanaSB 6969th Legislature, Regular Session (2025)Senate

Revise county attorney reporting requirements for child sexual abuse

Sponsored By: Gayle Lammers (Republican)

Became Law

Law EnforcementMinors

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

County attorneys get full case records

When the alleged abuser is age 12 or older, the county attorney must collect all case notes, interviews, and evaluations. Agencies and child-safety teams must share these records and keep sharing them through the investigation, court case, and prosecution. The county attorney must send a written receipt to the original reporter with the date received and the victim’s age and gender; if the report was anonymous, the notice goes to the department; no notice is needed if law enforcement made the report. County attorneys must keep related records for 25 years.

Statewide tracking of child sex abuse cases

Each county attorney must report to the attorney general by June 1 each year with case IDs, key dates, charging and declination decisions, convictions, sentences, and counts of long-pending cases with reasons. The attorney general must provide a standard form that allows five years of cumulative tracking until charges or a declination, and the submitted data is confidential. By August 15, the attorney general reports aggregated results to the Law and Justice Interim Committee, including counts of cases declined and charged and the initials and sentences for defendants. By July 15 each year, the department must report how many referrals it sent to county attorneys in each county for the prior fiscal year. When the department believes a prosecutable child sexual abuse case has not been charged, it must notify the attorney general and summarize the facts.

Recorded hotline calls and stronger intake

When staff take a phone report, they must record the call and tell the caller it is recorded and kept confidential when possible. Staff must ask for the caller’s name and phone number, their role if they are a mandatory reporter, and document other identifying details. For reports of sexual abuse or exploitation, staff must ask for the facts, the names of alleged victims and perpetrators, and the source of the information. If a caller will not give identifying details and a child appears at serious, immediate risk, staff must tell the caller to dial 9-1-1.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Gayle Lammers

    Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

  • Alanah Griffith

    Democrat • House

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 478 • No: 17

Senate vote • 4/17/2025

Do Pass

Yes: 50 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/16/2025

Do Pass

Yes: 49 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/11/2025

Do Concur

Yes: 97 • No: 2

Senate vote • 4/10/2025

AMD-SB0069.001.001 Mercer DO PASS

Yes: 86 • No: 13

Senate vote • 4/10/2025

Do Concur As Amended

Yes: 97 • No: 2

Senate vote • 2/4/2025

Do Pass

Yes: 50 • No: 0

Senate vote • 2/3/2025

Do Pass

Yes: 49 • No: 0

Actions Timeline

  1. Chapter Number Assigned

    5/16/2025Senate

  2. Signed by Governor

    5/13/2025Senate

  3. Transmitted to Governor

    5/5/2025Senate

  4. Signed by Speaker

    5/5/2025House

  5. Signed by President

    4/29/2025Senate

  6. Returned from Enrolling

    4/19/2025Senate

  7. Sent to Enrolling

    4/17/2025Senate

  8. 3rd Reading Passed as Amended by House

    4/17/2025Senate

  9. 2nd Reading House Amendments Concurred

    4/16/2025Senate

  10. 2nd Reading Pass Consideration

    4/15/2025Senate

  11. Returned to Senate with Amendments

    4/11/2025House

  12. 3rd Reading Concurred

    4/11/2025House

  13. 2nd Reading Concurred as Amended

    4/10/2025House

  14. 2nd Reading Motion to Amend Carried

    4/10/2025House

  15. Committee Report--Bill Concurred

    4/8/2025House

  16. Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred

    4/8/2025House

  17. Hearing

    4/3/2025House

  18. First Reading

    2/5/2025House

  19. Referred to Committee

    2/5/2025House

  20. Transmitted to House

    2/4/2025Senate

  21. 3rd Reading Passed

    2/4/2025Senate

  22. 2nd Reading Passed

    2/3/2025Senate

  23. Committee Report--Bill Passed

    1/29/2025Senate

  24. Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed

    1/29/2025Senate

  25. Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed

    1/29/2025Senate

Bill Text

  • Enrolled

    4/17/2025

    PDF

  • As Amended (Version 2)

    4/10/2025

    PDF

  • Introduced

    12/27/2024

    PDF

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