---
type: "Bill"
title: "Generally revise endangering the welfare of children"
description: "Generally revise endangering the welfare of children"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 261"
citation: "Montana SB 261 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Crimes", "Criminal Procedure"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Greg Hertz"]
version_count: 31
action_count: 40
vote_count: 9
first_action: "2024-12-13T14:19:58+00:00"
last_action: "2025-04-17T20:30:05+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/474071ac-1a1a-40f2-a5b3-741ef3e9a5bf"
source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC2975?open_tab=sum"
source_hash: "0426b9f2078b5f94c63b55d21836b8929c3e9ffd969248a5710cc692817734d5"
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 261 (2025) — Generally revise endangering the welfare of children

## Version chain

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

1. **LC2975.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=271688)
2. **SB0261.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=295209)
3. **SB0261.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=283025)
4. **SB0261.001.002_Amendments-in-Context_final-full(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288329)
5. **SB0261.001.002_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288327)
6. **SB0261_1(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=279294)
7. **SB0261_1(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288873)
8. **SB0261_1(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288874)
9. **SB0261_1(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288875)
10. **SB0261_1(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288877)
11. **SB0261_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=278576)
12. **SB0261_2(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288879)
13. **SB0261_2(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288880)
14. **SB0261_2(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288881)
15. **SB0261_2(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288903)
16. **SB0261_2(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288904)
17. **SB0261_2(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288906)
18. **SB0261_2(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=291822)
19. **SB0261_2(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=295459)
20. **SB0261_2(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=299312)
21. **SB0261_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288878)
22. **SB0261_3.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=299311)
23. **SB0261_X(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316550)
24. **SB0261_X(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=317451)
25. **SB0261_X(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=317452)
26. **SB0261_X(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=317453)
27. **SB0261_X(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=320864)
28. **SB0261_X(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=324342)
29. **SB0261_X(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=326771)
30. **SB0261_X(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=327770)
31. **SB0261_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310589)

## Votes

- be_concurred_in — **17–3** (pass) · lower
- Do Pass — **46–4** (pass) · upper
- Do Pass — **45–5** (pass) · upper
- to_take_from_the_table — **7–1** (pass) · upper
- do_pass_as_amended — **5–3** (pass) · upper
- to_table — **8–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Concur — **80–20** (pass) · lower
- do_pass_as_amended — **4–4** (fail) · upper
- Do Concur — **80–19** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Greg Hertz — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-12-13T14:19:58+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned
- **2024-12-13T14:19:59+00:00** (LC) Draft On Hold
- **2025-01-10T23:55:27+00:00** (LC) Draft Taken Off Hold
- **2025-01-14T19:51:59+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review
- **2025-01-14T22:34:13+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit
- **2025-01-15T16:39:07+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2025-01-15T18:12:03+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2025-01-16T19:03:46+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly
- **2025-01-16T21:16:31+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2025-02-03T23:40:54+00:00** (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- **2025-02-03T23:50:48+00:00** (S) Introduced
- **2025-02-05T17:10:00+00:00** (S) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-02-05T17:31:00+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee - (S) Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-06T19:11:00+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Judiciary
- **2025-02-19T17:45:56+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Not Passed as Amended - (S) Judiciary `committee-failure`
- **2025-02-19T17:46:47+00:00** (S) Tabled in Committee - (S) Judiciary `amendment-deferral`
- **2025-02-26T18:46:33+00:00** (S) Taken from Table in Committee - (S) Judiciary
- **2025-02-26T18:53:14+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended - (S) Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-26T20:50:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended - (S) Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-01T15:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-03-01T17:05:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-03-03T20:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-03-03T22:08:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-03T23:21:40+00:00** (S) Transmitted to House
- **2025-03-04T18:27:59+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee - (H) Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-04T20:09:38+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-03-09T04:01:18+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Judiciary
- **2025-03-19T18:18:12+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (H) Judiciary
- **2025-03-20T19:28:00+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (H) Judiciary
- **2025-03-25T19:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-03-25T21:05:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-03-26T19:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-03-26T19:48:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-26T19:48:26+00:00** (S) Sent to Enrolling
- **2025-03-28T12:04:47+00:00** (S) Returned from Enrolling
- **2025-04-02T18:00:52+00:00** (S) Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-04-08T15:45:31+00:00** (H) Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-04-08T22:56:08+00:00** (S) Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-04-16T18:00:07+00:00** (S) Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-17T20:30:05+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/474071ac-1a1a-40f2-a5b3-741ef3e9a5bf`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).