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- 2025
69th Legislature 2025 HB 913
- 1 - Authorized Print Version – HB 913
ENROLLED BILL
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE PROVISIONS OF HOUSE BILL NO. 2; INCREASING THE NUMBER OF
DISTRICT COURT JUDGES; PROVIDING FOR A REPORT ON COMMUNICATIONS AT THE MONTANA
STATE PRISON; PROVIDING FOR AN INTERIM STUDY ON WAGES AND CONSOLIDATION OF LEGAL
SERVICES; ESTABLISHING A DAILY RATE FOR DETENTION CENTERS; AMENDING SECTIONS 3-5-102
AND 7-32-2242, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE AND A TERMINATION DATE.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
Section 1. Section 3-5-102, MCA, is amended to read:
"3-5-102. Number of judges. In each judicial district, there must be the following number of judges of
the district court:
(1) in the 2nd, 7th, 16th, 20th, and 21st districts, two judges each;
(2) in the 1st, 8th, and 18th districts, four judges each;
(3) in the 4th and 11th districts, five judges each;
(4) in the 13th district, eight 10 judges; and
(5) in all other districts, one judge each."
Section 2. Reporting on inappropriate or illicit communications within corrections. (1) For the
interim following the 69th legislative session, the department of corrections shall report at each meeting of the
law and justice interim committee and the judicial branch, law enforcement, and justice interim budget
committee on the details and effectiveness of its methods to reduce inappropriate or illicit communications to or
from inmates at the Montana state prison.
(2) Inappropriate or illicit communications include those that discuss or solicit victim information,
drug trafficking arrangements, or other illegal and restricted activities.
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69th Legislature 2025 HB 913
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ENROLLED BILL
(3) As a part of its reporting, the department of corrections shall provide quarterly reports on the
following:
(a) the number of e-mails, messages, and other electronic communications to and from inmates at
the Montana state prison;
(b) the number of e-mails blocked by automatic scanning systems;
(c) the result of the department of correction's audit of both the blocked and unblocked
communications to determine the rate of false negatives and false positives;
(d) a description of the process and cost of electronic monitoring of tablets and devices; and
(e) any incidents at the Montana State Prison that involve e-mail communications that were
inappropriately filtered by automatic scanning systems.
Section 3. Study on consolidation of legal services. (1) For the interim following the 69th
legislative session, the general government interim budget committee shall study issues related to the
consolidation of legal services across state agencies and discrepancies in the compensation for legal
occupations across state agencies.
(2) By September 15, 2025, the department of administration shall report to the general
government interim budget committee on the following:
(a) the distribution of hourly wage rates of lawyers and other legal occupations in state agencies;
(b) a comparison of state pay rates and benefits to rates and benefits paid to lawyers and other
legal occupations in the private sector;
(c) considerations or explanations for differences in the pay rates across state agencies;
(d) an explanation on how pay rates for lawyers and other legal occupations are set across state
agencies; and
(e) the extent to which pay exceptions are made and for what purposes.
(3) The general government interim budget committee shall complete the study by September 15,
2026, and report its findings and recommendations, including potential legislation, to the 70th legislature and to
the judicial branch, law enforcement, and justice interim budget committee.
(4) The general government interim budget committee shall invite the members of the state
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69th Legislature 2025 HB 913
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ENROLLED BILL
administration and veterans' affairs interim committee, the general government budget committee, and the
judicial branch, law enforcement, and justice interim budget committee to each of its meetings to participate in
the study.
Section 4. Section 7-32-2242, MCA, is amended to read:
"7-32-2242. Use of detention center -- payment of costs. (1) Local government, state, and federal
law enforcement and correctional agencies may use any detention center for the confinement of arrested
persons and the punishment of offenders, under conditions imposed by law and with the consent of the
governing body responsible for the detention center.
(2) (a) Except as provided in 7-32-2245, if a person is confined in a detention center by an
arresting agency not responsible for the operation of the detention center, the actual costs of holding the person
in confinement must be paid by the arresting agency unless otherwise agreed to by the arresting agency and
the operator of the detention center.
(b) If a city or town commits a person to the detention center of the county in which the city or town
is located for a reason other than detention pending trial for or detention for service of a sentence for violating
an ordinance of that city or town, the costs must be paid by the county, except as provided in 7-32-2245. If the
department of corrections is the arresting agency and the inmate is a probation violator, the costs must be paid
by the county in which the district court that retains jurisdiction over the inmate is located, except as provided in
7-32-2245.
(c) The department of corrections is responsible to pay actual costs for defendants following the
pronouncement of sentence pursuant to 46-19-101.
(d) Payments must be made to the government unit responsible for the detention center or to the
administrator operating a private detention center under an agreement provided for in 7-32-2201 on
presentation of a claim to the arresting agency.
(e) For the purposes of this section, "actual costs" of in reference to a detention center is defined
as the greater of:
(i) the daily per inmate provider rate for crossroads correctional facility less 10%; or
(ii) $82 means $85.30 a day.
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69th Legislature 2025 HB 913
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(3) If a person is a fugitive from justice from an out-of-state jurisdiction, the costs, including medical
expenses, of holding the person in a detention center pending extradition must be paid by the out-of-state
jurisdiction."
Section 5. Transfer of funds. By July 15, 2025, the state treasurer shall transfer $40,000 from the
general fund to the missing indigenous persons task force account established in [section 1 of House Bill No.
83].
Section 6. Coordination instruction. If House Bill No. 2 is passed and approved and if it does not
contain the following appropriations for the study and report in [section 3 of this act], then [section 3 of this act]
is void:
(1) at least $25,000 to the department of administration to provide reports provided for in [section 3
of this act]; and
(2) at least $20,000 to the legislative fiscal division to staff the study provided for in [section 3 of
this act].
Section 7. Coordination instruction. If both House Bill No. 643 and [this act] are passed and
approved and if both contain a section that amends 7-32-2242, then the section amending 7-32-2242 in House
Bill No. 643 is void.
Section 8. Effective date. [This act] is effective July 1, 2025.
Section 9. Termination. [Sections 2 and 3] terminate September 30, 2026.
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I hereby certify that the within bill,
HB 913, 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. 913
INTRODUCED BY F. NAVE
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE PROVISIONS OF HOUSE BILL NO. 2; INCREASING THE NUMBER OF
DISTRICT COURT JUDGES; PROVIDING FOR A REPORT ON COMMUNICATIONS AT THE MONTANA
STATE PRISON; PROVIDING FOR AN INTERIM STUDY ON WAGES AND CONSOLIDATION OF LEGAL
SERVICES; ESTABLISHING A DAILY RATE FOR DETENTION CENTERS; AMENDING SECTIONS 3-5-102
AND 7-32-2242, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE AND A TERMINATION DATE.