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Read. Follow. Verify.Montana bill creates political mailings opt-out website funded by political committee fees
Last action · May 23, 2025: (S) Died in ProcessSponsor: Ellie Boldman
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What This Bill Proposed
Montana Senate Bill 557 establishes a public website allowing residents to opt out of receiving political campaign mailings. The measure requires the Commissioner of Political Practices to maintain the site, share the opt-out list with s and party organizations, and charge those groups equal fees to cover maintenance costs.
Residents gain a mechanism to stop political campaign mailings, while s and party organizations face mandatory fees to fund the opt-out registry's upkeep.
- The Commissioner of Political Practices oversees campaign finance and election practices in Montana. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Individuals receiving mail from political campaigns
Individuals gain the ability to opt out of receiving political campaign mail through a public website maintained by the state.
Political committees and political party organizations
Political committees and party organizations must receive the opt-out list and pay equal fees to cover website maintenance costs.
Key Facts
- The Commissioner of Political Practices must provide and maintain a public website for individuals to opt out of receiving mail from political campaigns.
- The Commissioner must make the opt-out list available to political committees and political party organizations.
- Political committees and political party organizations must pay a fee to cover the website's maintenance costs, which the Commissioner assesses equally among them.
- A political mailings opt-out website account is established within the state special revenue fund to hold the collected fees.
Show all 5 facts
- Money deposited into the special revenue account must be used exclusively to maintain the political mailings opt-out website.
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
19 actions- May 23, 2025Senate(S) Died in Process
- Apr 10, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Printed
- Apr 9, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Unsigned
- Apr 8, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Received
- Apr 7, 2025Senate(S) Missed Deadline for Revenue Bill Transmittal
- Apr 2, 2025SenateCommittee(S) Tabled in Committee
Show 13 earlier actions
- Apr 1, 2025Senate(S) Hearing
- Mar 31, 2025SenateCommittee(S) Referred to Committee
- Mar 31, 2025Senate(S) 1st Reading
- Mar 31, 2025Senate(S) Fiscal Note Requested
- Mar 28, 2025SenateIntroduced(S) Introduced
- Mar 28, 2025House(LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- Mar 27, 2025House(LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- Mar 27, 2025House(LC) Draft in Assembly
- Mar 26, 2025House(LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- Mar 26, 2025House(LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- Mar 24, 2025House(LC) Draft in Edit
- Feb 17, 2025House(LC) Draft in Legal Review
- Dec 14, 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.
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Sources
bills.legmt.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 45)
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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