--- type: "Bill" title: "Eliminate fingerprint background check requirements for professional employer organization" description: "Eliminate fingerprint background check requirements for professional employer organization" jurisdiction: "us/states/mt" legislature: "Montana Legislature" session: "2025" identifier: "HB 254" citation: "Montana HB 254 (2025)" classification: ["bill"] subjects: ["Professions and Occupations Generally"] status: "enacted" primary_sponsors: ["Melissa Nikolakakos"] version_count: 19 action_count: 44 vote_count: 6 first_action: "2024-09-09T21:00:35+00:00" last_action: "2025-04-17T17:09:31+00:00" source: "openstates" source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7a89c046-1609-423e-bcc5-6b1489db1bc6" source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC0219?open_tab=sum" source_hash: "d06b9de8b0dd77c8c9ec8d936ef60d30b87b8ad0a83a3c5813cba8be7b6a24af" vintage: "2026-07-01" source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump" retrieved_at: "2026-07-06" confidence: "reported" tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-mt"] --- # Montana HB 254 (2025) — Eliminate fingerprint background check requirements for professional employer organization ## Version chain The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment. 1. **HB0254_1(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272735) 2. **HB0254_1(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=275363) 3. **HB0254_1(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=276412) 4. **HB0254_1(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=279338) 5. **HB0254_1(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=279485) 6. **HB0254_1(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=295875) 7. **HB0254_1(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=302222) 8. **HB0254_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=272435) 9. **HB0254_X(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316408) 10. **HB0254_X(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316409) 11. **HB0254_X(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316410) 12. **HB0254_X(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=317371) 13. **HB0254_X(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=320834) 14. **HB0254_X(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=324323) 15. **HB0254_X(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=325195) 16. **HB0254_X(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=325667) 17. **HB0254_X(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=327273) 18. **HB0254_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310670) 19. **LC0219.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=269697) ## Votes - Do Pass — **100–0** (pass) · lower - be_concurred_in — **12–0** (pass) · upper - Do Pass — **99–1** (pass) · lower - Do Concur — **34–16** (pass) · upper - do_pass — **20–0** (pass) · lower - Do Concur — **36–13** (pass) · upper ## Sponsors - Melissa Nikolakakos — primary (person) ## Timeline The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote. - **2024-09-09T21:00:35+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned - **2024-12-30T16:23:51+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review - **2024-12-30T17:43:52+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit - **2024-12-31T23:04:07+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing - **2025-01-02T16:17:28+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review - **2025-01-03T21:22:35+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly - **2025-01-06T15:12:15+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery - **2025-01-16T19:08:27+00:00** (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester - **2025-01-17T21:01:09+00:00** (H) Introduced - **2025-01-17T21:24:50+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Requested - **2025-01-20T17:20:58+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee - (H) Business and Labor `referral-committee` - **2025-01-20T20:18:37+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1` - **2025-01-23T15:11:09+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Received `receipt` - **2025-01-23T17:35:29+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Signed - **2025-01-23T17:38:51+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Printed - **2025-01-24T22:42:58+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Business and Labor - **2025-01-29T15:30:30+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed - (H) Business and Labor `committee-passage` - **2025-01-29T15:38:02+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed - (H) Business and Labor `committee-passage` - **2025-01-29T20:21:06+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Passed - (H) Business and Labor `committee-passage` - **2025-02-04T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2` - **2025-02-04T21:00:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2` - **2025-02-05T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3` - **2025-02-05T21:48:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3` - **2025-02-05T22:02:58+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Senate - **2025-02-06T20:33:59+00:00** (S) First Reading `reading-1` - **2025-02-20T18:28:46+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs `referral-committee` - **2025-02-27T21:23:40+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs - **2025-02-28T20:20:35+00:00** (S) Hearing Canceled - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs - **2025-03-06T18:39:16+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs - **2025-03-15T16:33:48+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs - **2025-03-20T17:25:24+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs - **2025-03-20T21:47:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs - **2025-03-27T23:02:30+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Pass Consideration `reading-2` - **2025-03-28T19:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2` - **2025-03-28T20:17:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2` - **2025-03-31T19:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3` - **2025-03-31T21:13:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3` - **2025-03-31T21:14:08+00:00** (H) Sent to Enrolling - **2025-04-02T19:34:09+00:00** (H) Returned from Enrolling - **2025-04-07T18:00:24+00:00** (H) Signed by Speaker `passage` - **2025-04-09T17:30:28+00:00** (S) Signed by President `passage` - **2025-04-09T19:50:28+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt` - **2025-04-16T13:17:00+00:00** (H) Signed by Governor `executive-signature` - **2025-04-17T17:09:31+00:00** Chapter Number Assigned `became-law` ## Source OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7a89c046-1609-423e-bcc5-6b1489db1bc6`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).