---
type: "Bill"
title: "Revise laws related to child abuse and neglect"
description: "Revise laws related to child abuse and neglect"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 694"
citation: "Montana HB 694 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Family Law", "Law Enforcement", "Minors"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bill Mercer"]
version_count: 40
action_count: 41
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2024-12-14T17:22:05+00:00"
last_action: "2025-05-05T17:22:14+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1e6c0af6-b971-4a7e-9384-86d9abfc50aa"
source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC3435?open_tab=sum"
source_hash: "ebcf8b9fa2f05f0cf5754a6a573e1b813f943532ae16f65e7df0458e97e9ae07"
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 694 (2025) — Revise laws related to child abuse and neglect

## Version chain

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

1. **HB0694.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=290546)
2. **HB0694.002.002_Amendments-in-Context_final-condensed.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=306986)
3. **HB0694.002.002_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=306984)
4. **HB0694_1(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=286646)
5. **HB0694_1(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291096)
6. **HB0694_1(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291097)
7. **HB0694_1(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291098)
8. **HB0694_1(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291099)
9. **HB0694_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=286452)
10. **HB0694_2(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291101)
11. **HB0694_2(10).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=306030)
12. **HB0694_2(11).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308333)
13. **HB0694_2(12).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308335)
14. **HB0694_2(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291102)
15. **HB0694_2(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291103)
16. **HB0694_2(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291197)
17. **HB0694_2(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291198)
18. **HB0694_2(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291199)
19. **HB0694_2(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291250)
20. **HB0694_2(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=293898)
21. **HB0694_2(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=294089)
22. **HB0694_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291100)
23. **HB0694_X(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308338)
24. **HB0694_X(10).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=320404)
25. **HB0694_X(11).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=321650)
26. **HB0694_X(12).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=321651)
27. **HB0694_X(13).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=321652)
28. **HB0694_X(14).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=324711)
29. **HB0694_X(15).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=326871)
30. **HB0694_X(16).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=327806)
31. **HB0694_X(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308339)
32. **HB0694_X(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308498)
33. **HB0694_X(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308504)
34. **HB0694_X(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308505)
35. **HB0694_X(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308712)
36. **HB0694_X(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308713)
37. **HB0694_X(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310888)
38. **HB0694_X(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316828)
39. **HB0694_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308336)
40. **LC3435.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=286142)

## Votes

- Do Pass — **57–42** (pass) · lower
- AMD-HB0694.002.002 Emrich D/PASS — **4–44** (fail) · upper
- do_pass_as_amended — **12–9** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **36–14** (pass) · upper
- be_concurred_in — **10–1** (pass) · upper
- Unknown — **57–42** (pass) · lower
- Do Concur — **30–18** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Bill Mercer — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-12-14T17:22:05+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned
- **2025-02-19T20:13:32+00:00** (LC) Draft Taken Off Hold
- **2025-02-19T23:37:14+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review
- **2025-02-20T17:30:45+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit
- **2025-02-22T19:52:18+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2025-02-23T01:25:33+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2025-02-23T01:31:39+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly
- **2025-02-23T20:02:48+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2025-02-24T17:15:12+00:00** (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- **2025-02-24T17:16:00+00:00** (H) Introduced
- **2025-02-24T19:12:20+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee - (H) Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-24T20:09:59+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-02-24T21:15:24+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Judiciary
- **2025-02-25T21:25:39+00:00** (H) Hearing Canceled - (H) Judiciary
- **2025-02-25T21:30:00+00:00** (H) Rereferred to Committee - (H) Human Services `referral-committee, referral-committee`
- **2025-02-27T21:44:45+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Human Services
- **2025-03-01T18:18:28+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Human Services `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-01T22:45:00+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Human Services `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-05T20:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-03-06T02:04:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-03-07T15:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-03-07T17:05:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-07T18:00:00+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Senate
- **2025-03-15T00:08:15+00:00** (S) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-03-17T15:14:03+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-02T17:36:14+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety
- **2025-04-07T22:43:28+00:00** (S) Hearing Canceled - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety
- **2025-04-07T23:21:14+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety
- **2025-04-08T19:28:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety
- **2025-04-09T19:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-04-09T21:42:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Motion to Amend Failed `amendment-failure, failure, reading-2`
- **2025-04-09T21:43:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-04-10T14:30:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-04-10T18:17:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-10T18:17:56+00:00** (H) Sent to Enrolling
- **2025-04-11T14:25:14+00:00** (H) Returned from Enrolling
- **2025-04-18T19:00:46+00:00** (H) Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-04-22T00:00:24+00:00** (S) Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-04-22T18:10:24+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-05-01T21:14:29+00:00** (H) Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-05T17:22:14+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/1e6c0af6-b971-4a7e-9384-86d9abfc50aa`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).