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HB215 • 2025

Revise laws on state appointments and vacancies of executive boards and commissions

Revise laws on state appointments and vacancies of executive boards and commissions

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Caleb Hinkle
Last action
2025-04-07
Official status
Chapter Number Assigned
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the impact of these changes on diversity or reporting requirements beyond their removal.

Changes to State Appointments and Vacancies

This law removes the requirement for appointing authorities to aim for gender balance and proportional minority representation when making appointments to state government bodies.

What This Bill Does

  • Removes the requirement that appointing authorities must take positive action towards gender balance and proportional minority representation when making appointments to state government boards, commissions, committees, and councils.
  • Eliminates the monthly reporting requirement for recent executive branch appointments and upcoming vacancies on executive boards and commissions.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Appointing authorities for state government boards, commissions, committees, and councils.
  • The secretary of state who was responsible for publishing monthly reports on appointments and vacancies.

Terms To Know

appointing authority
A person or group with the power to choose members for a board, commission, committee, or council.
gender balance
An equal representation of men and women in appointments.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if the goals set forth in Section 2-15-108 are no longer reported to the legislature.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect diversity on state government boards, commissions, committees, and councils.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-07 HOUSE

    (H) Signed by Governor

  2. 2025-04-07 HOUSE

    Chapter Number Assigned

  3. 2025-04-01 SENATE

    (S) Signed by President

  4. 2025-04-01 HOUSE

    (H) Transmitted to Governor

  5. 2025-03-28 HOUSE

    (H) Signed by Speaker

  6. 2025-03-26 HOUSE

    (H) Returned from Enrolling

  7. 2025-03-24 SENATE

    (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading

  8. 2025-03-24 SENATE

    (S) 3rd Reading Concurred

  9. 2025-03-24 HOUSE

    (H) Sent to Enrolling

  10. 2025-03-21 SENATE

    (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading

  11. 2025-03-21 SENATE

    (S) 2nd Reading Concurred

  12. 2025-03-19 SENATE

    (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred

  13. 2025-03-19 SENATE

    (S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred

  14. 2025-03-17 SENATE

    (S) Hearing

  15. 2025-02-18 SENATE

    (S) Referred to Committee

  16. 2025-02-07 SENATE

    (S) First Reading

  17. 2025-02-06 HOUSE

    (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading

  18. 2025-02-06 HOUSE

    (H) 3rd Reading Passed

  19. 2025-02-06 HOUSE

    (H) Transmitted to Senate

  20. 2025-02-05 HOUSE

    (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading

  21. 2025-02-05 HOUSE

    (H) 2nd Reading Passed

  22. 2025-02-03 HOUSE

    (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed

  23. 2025-02-03 HOUSE

    (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed

  24. 2025-02-03 HOUSE

    (H) Committee Report--Bill Passed

  25. 2025-01-20 HOUSE

    (H) Hearing

  26. 2025-01-16 HOUSE

    (H) Referred to Committee

  27. 2025-01-16 HOUSE

    (H) First Reading

  28. 2025-01-15 HOUSE

    (H) Introduced

  29. 2025-01-14 HOUSE

    (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery

  30. 2025-01-14 HOUSE

    (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester

  31. 2025-01-11 HOUSE

    (LC) Draft in Assembly

  32. 2025-01-10 HOUSE

    (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review

  33. 2025-01-08 HOUSE

    (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing

  34. 2025-01-07 HOUSE

    (LC) Draft in Legal Review

  35. 2025-01-07 HOUSE

    (LC) Draft in Edit

  36. 2024-11-19 HOUSE

    (LC) Drafter Assigned

Official Summary Text

Revise laws on state appointments and vacancies of executive boards and commissions

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
****
69th Legislature 2025 HB 215
- 1 - Authorized Print Version – HB 215
ENROLLED BILL
AN ACT ELIMINATING GENDER AND RACIAL BALANCING FOR APPOINTMENTS BY BOARDS,
COMMISSIONS, COMMITTEES, AND COUNCILS OF STATE GOVERNMENT; ELIMINATING REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS; AND AMENDING SECTION 2-15-108, MCA.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
Section 1. Section 2-15-108, MCA, is amended to read:
"2-15-108. Gender and racial balance -- report to legislature Appointments and vacancies. (1)
As vacancies occur and appointments are made, all appointing authorities of all appointive boards,
commissions, committees, and councils of state government shall take positive action to attain gender balance
and proportional representation of minorities resident in Montana to the greatest extent possible.
(2) Pursuant to subsection (1), the The secretary of state shall publish in the Montana
Administrative Register on a monthly basis the recent appointments made by the executive branch and the
upcoming vacancies on executive boards and commissions.
(3) The governor shall report to the legislature, as provided in 5-11-210, on the progress made
toward achieving the goals set forth in this section."
- END -
I hereby certify that the within bill,
HB 215, originated in the House.
___________________________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
___________________________________________
Speaker of the House
Signed this _______________________________day
of____________________________________, 2025.
___________________________________________
President of the Senate
Signed this _______________________________day
of____________________________________, 2025.
HOUSE BILL NO. 215
INTRODUCED BY C. HINKLE, L. SCHUBERT, K. LOVE, T. SHARP, E. BYRNE, L. BENNETT, C. SCHOMER,
T. MANZELLA, D. ZOLNIKOV, D. EMRICH, J. FULLER, R. MARSHALL, N. NICOL, A. REGIER, D. LOGE, C.
GLIMM, B. LER, J. SCHILLINGER, K. ZOLNIKOV, J. ETCHART, L. DEMING, F. NAVE, B. USHER, J.
GILLETTE, L. BREWSTER, T. FALK, G. KMETZ, B. MERCER, B. MITCHELL, G. NIKOLAKAKOS, M.
NOLAND, K. SEEKINS-CROWE, Z. WIRTH, S. MANESS, K. BOGNER, J. HINKLE, B. PHALEN
AN ACT ELIMINATING GENDER AND RACIAL BALANCING FOR APPOINTMENTS BY BOARDS,
COMMISSIONS, COMMITTEES, AND COUNCILS OF STATE GOVERNMENT; ELIMINATING REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS; AND AMENDING SECTION 2-15-108, MCA.