---
type: "Bill"
title: "Require towns to record meetings in audio format"
description: "Require towns to record meetings in audio format"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 393"
citation: "Montana HB 393 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Cities and Towns", "Counties", "Local Government"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Brad Barker"]
version_count: 37
action_count: 42
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-12-14T18:55:13+00:00"
last_action: "2025-05-05T15:08:09+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/a3413596-e014-4ec6-acc3-1b20b2b83a05"
source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC3582?open_tab=sum"
source_hash: "c4a769d2bcd5f2b7fbe1f1434434d5fd8d5c72b5c42757ce31ae716539f1dab6"
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 393 (2025) — Require towns to record meetings in audio format

## Version chain

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

1. **HB0393.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=281819)
2. **HB0393_1(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=279617)
3. **HB0393_1(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284328)
4. **HB0393_1(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284329)
5. **HB0393_1(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284330)
6. **HB0393_1(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284331)
7. **HB0393_1(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310377)
8. **HB0393_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=279082)
9. **HB0393_2(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284334)
10. **HB0393_2(10).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=301894)
11. **HB0393_2(11).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310186)
12. **HB0393_2(12).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310187)
13. **HB0393_2(13).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310188)
14. **HB0393_2(14).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310189)
15. **HB0393_2(15).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310271)
16. **HB0393_2(16).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310272)
17. **HB0393_2(17).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310376)
18. **HB0393_2(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284335)
19. **HB0393_2(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284336)
20. **HB0393_2(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284353)
21. **HB0393_2(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284354)
22. **HB0393_2(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284355)
23. **HB0393_2(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284356)
24. **HB0393_2(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284376)
25. **HB0393_2(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=286860)
26. **HB0393_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=284333)
27. **HB0393_X(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=312286)
28. **HB0393_X(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=312287)
29. **HB0393_X(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=312432)
30. **HB0393_X(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=312433)
31. **HB0393_X(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=317083)
32. **HB0393_X(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=320649)
33. **HB0393_X(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=321440)
34. **HB0393_X(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=324644)
35. **HB0393_X(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=326912)
36. **HB0393_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=311673)
37. **LC3582.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=274114)

## Votes

- be_concurred_in — **11–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **69–30** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **37–11** (pass) · upper
- do_pass_as_amended — **15–2** (pass) · lower
- Do Pass — **66–34** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **36–14** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Brad Barker — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-12-14T18:55:13+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned
- **2024-12-14T18:55:13+00:00** (LC) Draft On Hold
- **2025-01-20T18:15:43+00:00** (LC) Draft Taken Off Hold
- **2025-01-23T15:00:07+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review
- **2025-01-23T15:57:33+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit
- **2025-01-24T15:37:17+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2025-01-24T18:00:30+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2025-01-24T23:21:03+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly
- **2025-01-25T21:24:33+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2025-02-05T15:28:27+00:00** (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- **2025-02-05T18:27:17+00:00** (H) Introduced
- **2025-02-06T17:55:55+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee - (H) Local Government `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-06T20:19:00+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-02-10T17:22:50+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Local Government
- **2025-02-18T23:57:56+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Local Government `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-19T20:20:00+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Local Government `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-21T14:48:30+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Requested
- **2025-02-22T16:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-02-22T17:01:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-02-24T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-02-24T22:09:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-02-24T22:29:06+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Senate
- **2025-02-25T20:43:30+00:00** (S) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-02-26T13:39:23+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Received `receipt`
- **2025-02-26T18:30:23+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Signed
- **2025-02-27T14:26:00+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Printed
- **2025-03-03T18:22:10+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee - (S) Local Government `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-16T18:53:59+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Local Government
- **2025-03-31T23:24:24+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) Local Government
- **2025-04-01T19:17:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) Local Government
- **2025-04-11T22:27:46+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Pass Consideration `reading-2`
- **2025-04-12T15:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-04-12T16:05:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-04-14T16:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-04-14T17:44:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-14T17:44:28+00:00** (H) Sent to Enrolling
- **2025-04-17T05:43:50+00:00** (H) Returned from Enrolling
- **2025-04-23T22:30:00+00:00** (H) Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-04-25T13:30:00+00:00** (S) Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-04-25T17:55:00+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-05-01T21:14:29+00:00** (H) Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-05T15:08:09+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/a3413596-e014-4ec6-acc3-1b20b2b83a05`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).