---
type: "Bill"
title: "Require peace officer to check and report immigration status during lawful stop"
description: "Require peace officer to check and report immigration status during lawful stop"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 278"
citation: "Montana HB 278 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Federal Government", "Law Enforcement"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Nelly Nicol"]
version_count: 40
action_count: 35
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2024-12-13T15:37:02+00:00"
last_action: "2025-04-17T16:57:42+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/dbcd2523-3e3d-48da-934b-36d1bb435422"
source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC3071?open_tab=sum"
source_hash: "062d37b2a547dc3c761ed9b2814822f9c1502d78c6f425e435b12eb7db61f8fb"
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 278 (2025) — Require peace officer to check and report immigration status during lawful stop

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **HB0278.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=281055)
2. **HB0278.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278034)
3. **HB0278.001.002_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278061)
4. **HB0278.001.002_Amendments-in-Context_final-not condensed.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278062)
5. **HB0278_1(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=273600)
6. **HB0278_1(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=275450)
7. **HB0278_1(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=276498)
8. **HB0278_1(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278351)
9. **HB0278_1(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278353)
10. **HB0278_1(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278354)
11. **HB0278_1(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278355)
12. **HB0278_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=273302)
13. **HB0278_2(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278357)
14. **HB0278_2(10).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=302792)
15. **HB0278_2(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278359)
16. **HB0278_2(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278361)
17. **HB0278_2(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278381)
18. **HB0278_2(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278446)
19. **HB0278_2(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=281714)
20. **HB0278_2(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=295906)
21. **HB0278_2(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=296627)
22. **HB0278_2(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=302791)
23. **HB0278_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278356)
24. **HB0278_X(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316394)
25. **HB0278_X(10).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=327757)
26. **HB0278_X(11).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=328128)
27. **HB0278_X(12).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=328129)
28. **HB0278_X(13).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=328130)
29. **HB0278_X(14).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=328131)
30. **HB0278_X(15).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=328133)
31. **HB0278_X(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316395)
32. **HB0278_X(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316396)
33. **HB0278_X(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=317368)
34. **HB0278_X(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=320832)
35. **HB0278_X(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=322960)
36. **HB0278_X(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=322961)
37. **HB0278_X(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=324980)
38. **HB0278_X(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=326745)
39. **HB0278_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310683)
40. **LC3071.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271667)

## Votes

- be_concurred_in — **5–3** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **59–41** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **32–18** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **60–40** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **30–20** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Nelly Nicol — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-12-13T15:37:02+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned
- **2025-01-13T19:06:13+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review
- **2025-01-14T23:03:23+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit
- **2025-01-15T15:16:23+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2025-01-15T16:48:42+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2025-01-16T23:31:55+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly
- **2025-01-17T15:03:56+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2025-01-20T17:53:14+00:00** (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- **2025-01-21T22:22:51+00:00** (H) Introduced
- **2025-01-22T18:04:08+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee - (H) Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-01-22T20:09:42+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-01-23T21:17:56+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Judiciary
- **2025-02-03T19:23:53+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-03T20:23:02+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-11T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-02-11T21:08:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-02-12T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-02-12T21:36:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-02-12T22:20:05+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Senate
- **2025-02-13T20:15:19+00:00** (S) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-02-21T18:43:52+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee - (S) Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-18T14:43:00+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Judiciary
- **2025-03-20T17:39:53+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) Judiciary
- **2025-03-21T20:33:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) Judiciary
- **2025-03-31T19:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-03-31T20:51:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-04-01T19:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-04-01T21:30:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-01T21:30:59+00:00** (H) Sent to Enrolling
- **2025-04-03T14:16:38+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`
- **2025-04-16T13:18:00+00:00** (H) Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-17T16:57:42+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/dbcd2523-3e3d-48da-934b-36d1bb435422`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).