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SB 11MONTANASession 2025State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Montana Enacts Uniform Procedures and Requirements for Local Government Ballot Issues

Original title: Revise local government ballot issue laws

Last action · April 17, 2025: Chapter Number AssignedSponsor: Forrest Mandeville

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Does

Montana law now establishes standardized procedures for local government ballot issues, signature gathering, signature verification, and petition reviews. The law requires sample petitions to be reviewed by local government attorneys for proper form and a concise statement of purpose within 21 days. The measure takes effect immediately upon passage and approval.

Why it matters

Changes the legal framework and signature-gathering rules for local government s and s in Montana, directly affecting local electors, petition circulators, and county election administrators.

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Local electors

Local electors gain standardized procedures and rights to propose ordinances and vote on local ballot issues via petition.

Directly affected

County election administrators

County election administrators must serially number petitions, manage submissions, and certify local government ballot issues according to new statutory timelines.

Directly affected

Petition signature gatherers

Petition signature gatherers are prohibited from being paid based on signature volume and are subject to specific affidavit and formatting requirements.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What percentage of signatures is required for a local government petition?
A petition signed by at least 15% of the local government's s is required for a regular election, while at least 25% is required to request a special election.
Can signature gatherers be paid per signature?
No, a person gathering signatures for a petition may not be paid anything of value based on the number of signatures gathered.
What is the penalty for signing a petition under a false name or when unregistered?
A person who purposefully signs a name other than their own, signs more than once for the same issue, or signs when not a legally registered Montana voter is subject to a $500 fine, 6 months in jail, or both.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

43 actions
  1. Apr 17, 2025Senate
    Chapter Number Assigned
  2. Apr 17, 2025SenateEnrolled
    (S) Signed by Governor
  3. Apr 8, 2025Senate
    (S) Transmitted to Governor
  4. Apr 8, 2025House
    (H) Signed by Speaker
  5. Apr 7, 2025Senate
    (S) Signed by President
  6. Apr 4, 2025Senate
    (S) Returned from Enrolling
Show 37 earlier actions
  1. Mar 31, 2025Senate
    (S) Sent to Enrolling
  2. Mar 31, 2025Senate
    (S) 3rd Reading House Amendments
  3. Mar 31, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
  4. Mar 28, 2025Senate
    (S) 2nd Reading House Amendments
  5. Mar 28, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
  6. Mar 26, 2025House
    (H) Returned to Senate with Amendments
  7. Mar 26, 2025House
    (H) 3rd Reading
  8. Mar 26, 2025House
    (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
  9. Mar 25, 2025House
    (H) 2nd Reading
  10. Mar 25, 2025House
    (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
  11. Mar 20, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Committee Report
  12. Mar 20, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Committee Executive Action
  13. Feb 12, 2025House
    (H) Hearing
  14. Feb 3, 2025House
    (H) 1st Reading
  15. Feb 3, 2025HouseCommittee
    (H) Referred to Committee
  16. Jan 31, 2025Senate
    (S) Transmitted to House
  17. Jan 31, 2025Senate
    (S) 3rd Reading
  18. Jan 31, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
  19. Jan 30, 2025Senate
    (S) 2nd Reading
  20. Jan 30, 2025Senate
    (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
  21. Jan 28, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Committee Report
  22. Jan 27, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Committee Executive Action
  23. Jan 9, 2025Senate
    (S) Hearing
  24. Jan 7, 2025SenateCommittee
    (S) Referred to Committee
  25. Jan 7, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Printed
  26. Jan 7, 2025Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Unsigned
  27. Jan 6, 2025Senate
    (S) 1st Reading
  28. Dec 18, 2024Senate
    (S) Fiscal Note Received
  29. Nov 25, 2024SenateIntroduced
    (S) Introduced
  30. Nov 25, 2024House
    (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
  31. Nov 22, 2024House
    (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
  32. Nov 21, 2024House
    (LC) Draft in Assembly
  33. Nov 20, 2024House
    (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
  34. Nov 20, 2024House
    (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
  35. Nov 10, 2024House
    (LC) Draft in Edit
  36. Oct 30, 2024House
    (LC) Draft in Legal Review
  37. Sep 11, 2024House
    (LC) Drafter Assigned

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Forrest MandevilleSenate · District 28RepublicanPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Codification of Local Ballot Procedures

The legislature repealed multiple scattered sections (7-5-132 through 7-5-135) and consolidated local government ballot issue laws into a new dedicated chapter under Title 13.

Connected Entities

Forrest Mandeville, State Administration and Veterans' Affairs Interim Committee
PersonForrest Mandeville“Republican, District 28, sponsor of SB 11”Map →
OrganizationState Administration and Veterans' Affairs Interim Committee“Committee requesting the introduction of SB 11”Map →

Sources

Open source document

bills.legmt.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy25
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

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