--- type: "Bill" title: "Establish confidentiality for child and family ombudsman" description: "Establish confidentiality for child and family ombudsman" jurisdiction: "us/states/mt" legislature: "Montana Legislature" session: "2025" identifier: "SB 251" citation: "Montana SB 251 (2025)" classification: ["bill"] subjects: ["Family Law", "Minors"] status: "enacted" primary_sponsors: ["Dennis Lenz"] version_count: 16 action_count: 37 vote_count: 6 first_action: "2024-10-21T13:47:15+00:00" last_action: "2025-04-17T20:39:40+00:00" source: "openstates" source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8c35c28d-a445-4ab1-8963-f8913ad91279" source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC0573?open_tab=sum" source_hash: "3b6e1b4f096e62f3ece54b9d3cb6835626f17b9c92ad0d011b11350bb628079d" 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 SB 251 (2025) — Establish confidentiality for child and family ombudsman ## Version chain The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment. 1. **LC0573.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=275665) 2. **SB0251_1(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=279291) 3. **SB0251_1(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288857) 4. **SB0251_1(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=295128) 5. **SB0251_1(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=299320) 6. **SB0251_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=277604) 7. **SB0251_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=299319) 8. **SB0251_X(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316549) 9. **SB0251_X(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=317459) 10. **SB0251_X(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=317460) 11. **SB0251_X(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=317461) 12. **SB0251_X(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=320866) 13. **SB0251_X(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=324344) 14. **SB0251_X(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=325879) 15. **SB0251_X(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=327373) 16. **SB0251_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310588) ## Votes - be_concurred_in — **21–0** (pass) · lower - Do Concur — **98–1** (pass) · lower - Do Pass — **49–1** (pass) · upper - do_pass — **11–0** (pass) · upper - Do Concur — **99–0** (pass) · lower - Do Pass — **49–1** (pass) · upper ## Sponsors - Dennis Lenz — primary (person) ## Timeline The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote. - **2024-10-21T13:47:15+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned - **2024-10-25T21:47:42+00:00** (LC) Draft On Hold - **2025-01-24T17:48:38+00:00** (LC) Draft Taken Off Hold - **2025-01-27T17:34:54+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review - **2025-01-27T18:07:57+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit - **2025-01-27T22:07:13+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing - **2025-01-28T18:14:53+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review - **2025-01-29T14:32:10+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly - **2025-01-29T20:35:05+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery - **2025-01-30T23:45:01+00:00** (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester - **2025-01-31T15:13:20+00:00** (S) Introduced - **2025-01-31T20:27:00+00:00** (S) First Reading `reading-1` - **2025-02-05T17:26:03+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety `referral-committee` - **2025-02-13T23:57:32+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety - **2025-02-21T22:59:13+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety `committee-passage` - **2025-02-24T20:30:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Passed - (S) Public Health, Welfare and Safety `committee-passage` - **2025-02-25T20:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2` - **2025-02-25T21:10:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2` - **2025-02-26T20:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3` - **2025-02-26T22:15:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3` - **2025-02-26T23:13:42+00:00** (S) Transmitted to House - **2025-02-27T17:18:21+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee - (H) Human Services `referral-committee` - **2025-02-27T20:04:00+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1` - **2025-03-05T22:22:58+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Human Services - **2025-03-18T23:33:54+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (H) Human Services - **2025-03-19T19:35:00+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (H) Human Services - **2025-03-25T19:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2` - **2025-03-25T20:58:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2` - **2025-03-26T19:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3` - **2025-03-26T19:47:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3` - **2025-03-26T19:47:27+00:00** (S) Sent to Enrolling - **2025-03-28T11:59:12+00:00** (S) Returned from Enrolling - **2025-04-01T17:00:37+00:00** (S) Signed by President `passage` - **2025-04-07T21:45:38+00:00** (H) Signed by Speaker `passage` - **2025-04-08T14:46:28+00:00** (S) Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt` - **2025-04-16T18:00:00+00:00** (S) Signed by Governor `executive-signature` - **2025-04-17T20:39:40+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/8c35c28d-a445-4ab1-8963-f8913ad91279`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).