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SB 311MONTANASession 2025State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Montana requires state-tribal relations training and handbooks for legislators starting July 1, 2025

Original title: Enhance legislative understanding of state-tribal relations

Last action · May 13, 2025: Chapter Number AssignedSponsor: Shane Morigeau

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

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What This Bill Does

Montana requires the state director of Indian affairs to collaborate with the legislative services division and state-tribal relations committee to provide Indian law, history, and rights training and updated handbooks to all legislators beginning July 1, 2025.

Why it matters

Lawmakers gain mandatory access to specialized legal and historical instruction regarding tribal governments, while the annual report deadline for tribal entities shifts from September to October 15.

Background
  • Montana state law previously mandated annual training for state agency managers and key employees regarding tribal relations, but did not formally extend these structured information channels to all individual legislators. context

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

legislators

Legislators are provided regular access to tribal relations handbooks, training opportunities, and educational resources regarding Indian law and history.

Directly affected

tribal governments

Tribal governments receive an annual report from the governor by October 15 detailing state and tribal activities and training programs.

Directly affected

state agencies

State agencies must submit an annual report to the governor by August 15 describing their activities, rule changes, and consultation efforts regarding tribal populations.

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 specific topics must be covered in the training provided to legislators?
The training must cover Indian law, the history of federal Indian policy, and the legal rights of tribal members.
When must the governor deliver the annual report on state and tribal activities to tribal governments?
By October 15 of each year.
When does this legislation take effect?
The act is effective July 1, 2025.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

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

Shane MorigeauSenate · District 50DemocraticPrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

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

policy shift95% confidence

Expanded Legislative Training Mandate

The state shifts from focusing tribal training primarily on agency managers and key employees to actively incorporating all legislators into educational programs.

state director of Indian affairslegislative services division

Connected Entities

T. Crowe, Shane Morigeau, S. Webber and 17 more
PersonT. Crowe“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonShane Morigeau“Primary sponsor of SB 311, Democrat from District 50”Map →
PersonS. Webber“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonA. Olsen“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonC. Pope“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonE. Kerr-Carpenter“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonD. Harvey“Introduced SB 311”Map →
locationHelena“Location for state-tribal training and working meetings”Map →
PersonD. Hayman“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonC. Fitzpatrick“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonT. Running Wolf“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonJ. Ellis“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonW. Curdy“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonC. Neumann“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonM. Dunwell“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonS. Novak“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonJ. Weber“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonM. Fox“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonE. Boldman“Introduced SB 311”Map →
PersonG. Lammers“Introduced SB 311”Map →

Sources

Open source document

bills.legmt.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance50
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy10
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz25
    Current news / social attention level

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